Answer to Question 1
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Answer to Question 2
Divorce is never easy, but it is harder on some persons than others. Most research on
divorce has focused upon the effects of the divorce upon couples, and of parents upon
children, and there has been little information on the adjustment and role performance of
the father. In almost 90 of families, the mother receives custody of young children. This
pattern leaves fathers largely outside the loop in performing their fathering roles in the
separated family unit.
Lawson and Thompson examine the effects and behavior of black fathers in the divorce
situation, and the methods they use to maintain contact and perform their fathering roles (to
the extent they can do so). They found that the vast majority of divorced fathers
experienced major pain from the family separation, and wanted to help in their fathering
roles as much as they could (both emotionally and financially). The nature of custody and
physical separation however, severely limited the extent it was possible for them to
maintain fathering contact. They found that children's relationship with their father often
became quite different than the relationship with their mother, although this may be
dependent upon the person of residence and the effort the absent parent makes in the
relationship.
Lawson and Thompson found that children played a central role in the lives of biological
father, and that fathers viewed children as the most important reason to remain in and
unhappy marriage. They found that black father's commitment to stepchildren was almost
as strong as biological children, an important finding that is often overlooked. Many
fathers felt their ex-wives often hampered the performance of fathering roles by
noncooperation with visitation, tying visitation to payment of alimony, and inconvenient
scheduling. Often, considerable animosity is carried over into the separation, which may
be dumped upon the children and father. Black fathers reported considerable psychological
strain as noncustodial divorced fathers, but still wanted to maintain positive relationships
with both the ex-spouse and children.
Black fathers also often felt cheated by the court system is being granted limited privileges
as the biological parent, and were especially concerned about the impact of limited contact
upon their sons in adolescence and later early adulthood. This has impact upon racial
identity of black fathers and young males, in fostering identity problems about black
masculinity and responsibility.
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