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Schedule Registration Housing |
| Thursday, January 6, 2000 2:00–5:00 p.m. |
Delaware Suite A Marriott Wardman Park Hotel Lobby Level |
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Section on Family and Juvenile Law |
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| June Rose Carbone, Santa Clara University, Chair Jana B. Singer, University of Maryland, Program Chair |
| Rethinking Fatherhood: Legal, Social and Economic Perspectives |
| (Program to be published in Maryland Law Review) |
| Moderator: | |
| Jana B. Singer, University of Maryland | |
| Speakers: | |
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Nancy Elizabeth Dowd, University of Florida Wade F. Horn, President and Co-Founder, National Fatherhood Initiative, Gaithersburg, Maryland Joe Jones, Director, Strive Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland James Levine, Director, Fatherhood Project, Families and Work Institute, New York, New York Sara S. McLanahan, Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs, Office of Population Research, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey Michael L. Selmi, George Washington University |
| Fatherhood has always been as much a legal and social construct as the recognition of a biological tie. Traditionally, the law tied paternal rights and responsibilities closely to marriage and largely discounted the relationship between unmarried fathers and their children. Moreover, in structuring market and family work, the law reflected prevailing conceptions of masculinity, which defined manhood primarily in terms of economic success and downplayed men’s direct role in nurturing children. |
| A series of social and economic developments have challenged these traditional legal assumptions. The growth of alternative family forms has led to legal and social recognition that fathering—like mothering—takes place in a variety of familial settings. Recent government anti-poverty policy has emphasized the financial responsibilities of non-custodial fathers, and fathers have increasingly responded by asserting rights to accompany those responsibilities. Women’s increased participation in the market has also raised questions about the appropriate allocation of household and care-taking work. Just as feminist and other scholars have challenged traditional definitions of femininity, so too have social scientists begun to explore new understandings of masculinity that emphasize the importance of men’s relationships with children. At the same time, a national fatherhood movement has arisen, which defines “fatherlessness” as our most pressing social problem and advocates the reinvigoration of marriage as a way of reconnecting men to their children. The Fathers Count Act of 1999, recently introduced in Congress, reflects this emphasis on married fatherhood. |
| This program will examine these multi-faceted developments and explore their implications for fathers, families and the legal system. Panelists will include social scientists and activists, as well as legal academics. Although the subject is potentially vast, the program will focus on three main areas: Fathers and Marriage; Fathers and Work; and Low-income Fathers and Public Policy. |
| Business Meeting at Program Conclusion |