African American Girls - Essay Example

African American Girls Father or a father figure person is very important in the life of any girl. For a girl, her father plays a crucial role for easy going, cosy and comfortable life. At every stage of the life of girls, they need both their fathers and mothers. African American girls have to face abundant problems due to their family life especially their status of fatherlessness. While studying the two contradictory family settings of African American girls, it was observed that the girls with father can enjoy healthier life than those who are fatherless. The paper focuses on discussing about two types of African girls, one is the girl with father and another is without father. For the healthy development of the child the presence of father in the family is very essential. In the family setting regarding this issue, the basic characters involved are the girl, her mother, father and sometimes other members of the family such as her siblings and her close relatives. The scope of the paper is African American girl with father and her counterpart, the girl of same race without father. Here also we have to take into consideration the status of the father, that means whether the father present in the family is a biological father of the girl or he is the social father (mother’s second husband) it makes a lot of difference in the girl’s life. While commenting on the relationship of father and daughter especially in African American family, Belgrave Faye states, “Father-daughter relationship is important in the shaping of a daughter’s body image, self worth, and other self attributes.” The setting in which the relationship of a father and his daughter shapes is the family. It is the centre point from which the personality starts shaping. The bringing up and the behavioural pattern are decided by the family and the overall surrounding he/she gets especially at home. The common view of a healthy family means the presence of both father and mother. If anyone of them is missing, the life of the children gets affected adversely. Our paper basically focuses on the importance of father in shaping the life of the Black American Girls. The study aimed at focusing on the major factors of African American girls’ lives and they are as follows: The physical and mental development of African American girls and the roles of their fathers, in shaping them The second theme was to study the behavioural pattern of African American Women in the presence and absence of their fathers. While studying it was hypothesized that: The African American girls having fathers live healthier life physically and psychologically. The behavioural pattern in African American girls having fathers is more balanced and normal as compared to the girls who are fatherless. African American girls with fathers are brighter academically than the girls without fathers The African American Girls with Fathers: Fathers’ role in the physical activities of their daughters is very crucial in the family. For psychological needs, they rely on their mothers but for physical activities, they get support, encouragement and motivation from their fathers. Taylor et al. (1999) studied African American and Letina middle school girls regarding physical activity and found that African American girls ages 14 – 18 reported biological fathers positively influence their physical activity levels. Bungum and Vincent (1997) also found that fathers are instrumental in physical activity promotion among African American girls. (Tara Blackshear P. 24) In the study of Thompson (2003) it was found that African American girls require additional social support to increase physical activity behaviours, especially from their fathers. The girls are so much close both to their fathers and mothers. When it is a question of spending time with the father, they like to engage in sports activities with their fathers (such as playing sports, attending sports events, or going for any amusement with their father. While engaging with their parents, girls are equally engaged with their mother and their father but in a different way. Their psychological needs are different and to fulfil these needs they require both of their parents. For example they do not share intimate topics to their fathers, instead of that they prefer mother for sharing such topics. Sharing with father is different that is doing certain activities with the father. The presence of both mother and father they can fulfil all kinds of psychological needs with the help of their father and mother. An ideal father teaches his daughter how an ideal man should be. He teaches daughter what to expect from men. Fatherless girls have no direction in that sense also. One more important theme in this relationship was the fathers’ protective nature towards their daughters. Fathers tend to give maximum protection to their daughters especially in their relationship with boys. This concern many times culminates into the arguments between father and the daughter, as the grown up girls want more freedom than their parents are giving them. Over-protectiveness of their father according them impedes their abilities. They are likely to be more aggressive as they know that their fathers are always there to support them. This feeling is very important to boost the confidence among the girls. The role of a father in the achievement of sports or any other physical activities is remarkable. The father is a key person to African American girls to develop their physical activities and to grow their interest in sports, which maintains a healthy relationship between both of them. Fathers tend to encourage their daughters in participating different sports. Research tells that sports not only contribute to positive father and daughter relationships but also a protective factor for other problem behaviour. Girls are less likely to suffer from depressions, and tend to have higher levels of self-esteem when their fathers are involved. (Barras, 2000; Coley 2003) Their academic growth is also healthy due to the presence of their fathers in their lives. African American Girls Without the Presence of the Fathers: David Propenoe in his book “Life Without Father,” states, “Growing up without a father may be a root cause of many social ills—from crime to academic failure.” Fatherless girls in African American community have a strong feeling of rejection in their mind. They constantly feel that no one is ready to love them. According to Barras, “these women are in constant search for their father.” She further states, “Fatherless daughters speak their father’s names, see their fathers’ faces, and desperately try to recapture their fathers’ love with every men they meet.” (Jonatha Rose Barras p.69,) “For too many fatherless girls, the need for a male role model in their lives is fulfilled by seeking the attention of boys and men, sleeping around until they finally get pregnant in order to having something to love, someone who will love them back. So, fatherless girls give birth to more fatherless children.” According to Kenya Jackson, the girls see the father’s loss as a personal rejection for them. (p.22) she further states “throughout these growth stages, many girls attribute this rejection to not being petty enough, affectionate enough, athletic enough, or smart enough to engage the fathers in regular contact. They seek affection from males and are more likely to be promiscuous.” Sexual Behaviour: The African American girls tend to be the victim of sexual attacks or betrayal due to their loneliness in the absence of their father from their lives. The sexual behavior of the fatherless woman “can range from promiscuity to an aversion to intimacy…”( Jonatta Rose Barras p. 69). These fatherless women may go from ‘bed to bed, calling sex ‘love’ and hoping to be healed by the physical loseness.’(Jonatta Rose Barras p. 70). The sexual life of the girl, who has a father, is balance healthier than her counterpart, i.e. the fatherless girl. ‘Adolescent girls raised with fathers are less likely to have sex and get pregnant than girls raised without fathers.’ (Ellis, Bates, Dodge, Fergusson, Horwood, Pettit, & Woodward, 2003; Ellis, McFadyen-Ketchum, Dodge, Pettit, & Bates, 1999; Teachman, 2004) Psychological and Physical growth: The fatherless status of the girls also deteriorates their academic life. “Fatherless girls are far more likely to drop out of school, suffer from depression or other emotional disorders and mask their pain through increased promiscuity.” (Patrice Lewis, April 13, 2013) Conclusion: Father figure is certainly a major factor in overall development of African American girls. The girls with the support of their father are likely to be more active physically as well as psychologically. Father is a booster for them. The fatherless American African girls tend to be promiscuous due to constant rejections in their lives. When they are desperately in need of their fathers, they are never there to console them, to show them right paths and to teach them the ideals. The fatherless girls’ academic life also gets spoiled due to the lack of fathers in their lives. Of course, it is not the universal presumption. It is because the cultural factors also influence in the behavioural patterns. So having father in the family cannot always assure a comfortable and supportive life to the girls. So before denying the responsibilities of a father, both men and women should consider the mental and physical need of their sons and daughters. Having a father is the natural right of every girl for her better future, and parents should take the responsibilities of giving this right to their daughters. Sources: 1. Thompson, V. J., Baranowski, T, Cullen, K. W., Baranowski, J., Rittenberry, L., Taylor, W. C., & Nicklas, T. (2003). Influences on diet and physical activity among middle-class African American 8- to 10-year old girls at risk of becoming obese. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 35(3), 115-123 2. Bungam, T. J., & Vincent, M. I. (1997). Determinants of physical activity among female adolescents. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 13(2), 115-122 3. Taylor, W., Yancey, A., Leslie, J., Murray, N., Cummings, S., Sharkey, S. A., Wert, C., James, J., Miles, O., & McCarthy, W. J. (1999). Physical activity among African American and Latino middle school girls: Consistent beliefs, expectations, and experiences across two sites. Women & Health, 30(2), 67-82. 4. Barras Jonatha Rose, “Whatever Happened to Daddy’s Little Girl? p.69 5. Tara Blackshear: Fathers, Family and Physical Activity: A Study on African American Girls Proquest publication P. 24 6. Patrice Lewis, Fatherless Girls, WND Commentary , April 13, 2013, http://www.wnd.com/2013/01/fatherless-girls/ 7. Belgrave Faye Z., “African American Girls : Reframing Perceptions and Changing Experiences” Springer Publication Pg. 42 8. Ellis, B. J., Bates, J. E., Dodge, K. A., Fergusson, D. M., Horwood, L. J., Pettit, G. S., & Woodward, L. (2003). Does father absence place daughters at special risk for early sexual activity and teenage pregnancy? Child Development, 74(3), 801-821. 9. Jonatta Rose Barras p. 70 Whatever Happened to Daddy’s Little Girl? Jonatta Rose Barras Read More