Teen Fatherhood and Gang Membership: A Qualitative Study

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The focus of this proposed 36 month exploratory qualitative project is to investigate the social processes and meaning of fatherhood among gang members. Building on our previous research on gangs in the San Francisco Bay Area, including our recent research on motherhood and gangs, we will examine the following three research questions: 1. What is the impact of gang involvement on a homeboy's (male gang member) ability to fulfill his role of father? 2. What are the impacts of other social, economic, cultural and institutional influences and factors on a gang member's ability to fulfill his role of father? 3. What is the impact of fatherhood on a gang member's involvement in the gang? Using primarily qualitative and ethnographic research methods, we plan to locate and interview 240 homeboys who are fathers from each of three major ethnic groups - African American, Latino, and Asian American. By utilizing a combined pre-coded and open-ended interview schedule we will gather information on the life histories and socio-demographics of male gang members; their own family experiences; risk behaviors, including their experiences in the gangs; notions of masculinity, gang membership and fatherhood; life experiences prior to learning that they were to be fathers; experiences during the pregnancy and after the birth of their child; and their past and on-going relationships with their child(ren) and the mother(s) of their child(ren). We will also collect data on the social and cultural roles of the gang, the family, and other environmental and institutional influences in their lives. This project is important for three reasons: First, the project seeks to examine teen fatherhood, an important and somewhat neglected research topic. Second, by focusing on teen fatherhood within the world of gangs we aim to uncover the potentially conflicting social processes of fatherhood and gang involvement. We wish to identify those factors that either encourage adolescent homeboys to become responsible fathers or impede this process. Finally, a research project designed to examine this issue, through the lived experiences of these young men, will provide important data to assist community based organizations to design potential intervention strategies to assist young fathers who are gang members.