The role of identity negotiation in father involvement : Southern, evangelical, and professional identities' influence on father involvement.

Abstract

Despite efforts advocating heterosexual marital equality in the United States, barriers to father involvement (FI) persist. In effort to identify the causes of this disparity, FI research frequently examines how various group identities influence an individual’s degree and type of FI. Yet, few studies have explored the interplay between these identities. In response, the following study used a qualitative iterative analysis approach to explore how men negotiate the tensions they experience between their regional, religious, and professional identities and their identities as fathers. Specifically, the study used writing prompts and interviews to examine tensions experienced by 10 fathers who identified as Texan-Southern, dual earner, and evangelical Christian. Additionally, thematic content analysis was conducted on the texts mentioned as central to participant’s father identities. The findings of this study provide an applicable example of Identity Negotiation Theory (INT) deployed in FI research and practical implications regarding how fathers make sense of FI.