Doctoral Dissertation Research: Cultural Representations of Paternity Among Poor, Unmarried Parents

9400857拉蒙特：这是博士论文研究计划助学金下的一个奖项。这项研究将考察贫穷的未婚父母对父子关系的文化表现。这项研究在新泽西州对60名从未结婚的父母(黑人和白人)进行了采访，这些父母的收入不超过贫困线的125%，研究调查了他们对作为父亲的权利和责任的理解。它还探讨了不同的亲子关系是否可以用被调查者的社会人口特征和文化或结构环境来解释。这一分析将回答这样的社会学问题：1)对于当代社会的穷人来说，亲子关系的意义是什么？2)从未结婚的父母是否认为合法的父亲身份在文化上是规范的，或者他们是否接受母子二元或以婚姻为中心的大家庭作为同样可行的文化选择？3)对于未婚父母来说，最近非婚生育的增加是否象征着文化上对改善女性社会条件的反应，或者是新的家庭安排中性别不平等的再现？%这项研究将对家庭社会学、性别角色和当代城市文化做出贡献。鉴于美国目前约有四分之一的生育是非婚生的，这项研究还将有助于为决策者提供知识基础，以此来决定公众对不断变化的社会状况和问题的反应。除了这项研究将获得的科学成果外，这一奖项还将对一位非常有前途的学生完成博士论文的研究提供实质性的帮助。从而为国家未来的科学人才和下一代社会科学家的深入培养做出贡献。***

9400857 Lamont This is an award under the Grants for Improving Doctoral Dissertation Research Program. The research will examine cultural representations of paternity among poor, unmarried parents. Drawing on 60 interviews in New Jersey with never- married mothers and fathers (black and white) with incomes at or below 125% of the poverty line, the study investigates the categories into which they interpret the rights and responsibilities of fatherhood. It also explores whether different representations of paternity can be explained by the socio-demographic characteristics and cultural or structural environments of respondents. This analysis will speak to such sociological questions as: 1) What is the significance of paternity for the poor in contemporary society? 2) Do never- married parents perceive legal fatherhood to be culturally normative, or do they accept the mother-child dyad or the matrifocal, extended family as equally viable cultural alternatives? 3) For unmarried parents, does the recent increase in nonmarital childbearing symbolize a cultural response to improving social conditions for women or the reproduction of gender inequality within new family arrangement? %%% This research will contribute to the sociology of the family, of gender roles, and of contemporary urban culture. Given that about a quarter of all births in the United States now occur outside of marriage, the research will also contribute to the knowledge base upon which policy makers will decide the public response to changing social conditions and problems. In addition to the scientific gains to be achieved by the research, this award will materially assist a highly promising student in completing research for the Ph.D. dissertation. Thus it contributes to the future scientific manpower of the nation and the thorough training of the next generation of social scientists. ***