A Qualitative Study of the Lived Experience of Single, Gay Adoptive Fathers PDF
Preview A Qualitative Study of the Lived Experience of Single, Gay Adoptive Fathers
Virginia Commonwealth University VCU Scholars Compass Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2004 A Qualitative Study of the Lived Experience of Single, Gay Adoptive Fathers John Daryl Matthews Virginia Commonwealth University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd Part of the Social Work Commons © The Author Downloaded from https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/701 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at VCU Scholars Compass. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of VCU Scholars Compass. For more information, please contact DISSERTATION APPROVAL FORM This is to certify that the dissertation prepared by John D. Matthews entitled A qualitative study of the lived experience of single, gay adoptive fathers has been approved by his committee: Elizabeth P. Cramer, Ph.D. Director of Dissertation Pamela J. Kovacs, Ph.D. Committee Member Humberto A. Fabelo, Ph.D. Committee Member Kevin W. Alison, Ph.D. Commite Member Kia J. Bentley, Ph.D. Director, Doctoral Program in Social Work Frank R. Baskind, Ph.D. Dean, School of Social Work Douglas Boudinot, Ph.D. Dean, School of Graduate Studies June 14, 2004 Date A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF SINGLE, GAY ADOPTIVE FATHERS A dissertation submitted in partial requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University By JOHN D. MATTHEWS B.S.W., 1999, University of North Carolina M.S.W., 2000, Radford University Director: Dr. Elizabeth P. Cramer School of Social Work Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Virginia August 2004 © John D. Matthews 2004 ----------------------------------------- All Rights Reserved ii DEDICATION To my son Xavier, who has enriched my life in indescribable ways and To the 16 fathers who gave freely of their time to help me with this project. Your strength moves me, and I have no doubt that the world will be a better place with your children leading us into the future. iii ACKNOWEDGEMENTS Many thanks are given to members of my committee, Drs. Pamela Kovacs, Humberto Fabelo, and Kevin Allison for their support and encouragement throughout the completion of this dissertation. I wish to acknowledge their flexibility in working with me under short deadlines, and thank them for their constructive comments. I wish to especially thank Dr. Elizabeth Cramer, my major professor for her unending patience, and her constant guidance and support. She believed in me, even at times that I did not believe in myself, and I will always be grateful for the friendship that has been forged throughout this process. I also wish to thank the faculty in the School of Social Work, especially Drs. Ellen Netting and Mary Katherine O’Connor, who have had a tremendous impact on my experience at VCU. Thanks are also in order my fellow students and friends: Drs. Raphael Mutepa and Jan Ivery, Annette Clayton, and Sue Murdock. Finally, a huge thank you to my family and friends for supporting me in all of my endeavors. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ..................................................................................................................ix List of Tables ...................................................................................................................x Abstract ............................................................................................................................xi Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................1 Introduction to the Problem.......................................................................1 Purpose of the Study..................................................................................6 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ...........................................................................10 Theoretical Framework .............................................................................10 Symbolic Interactionism.......................................................................11 Role Theory .........................................................................................13 Historical Conceptions of Fatherhood.......................................................18 Single Parents ............................................................................................22 Single Fathers ............................................................................................25 A Growing Phenomenon ......................................................................25 Categories of Single Fathers ................................................................27 Issues related to Single Father-Headed Families ................................29 Lesbian and Gay Male Parenting ..............................................................31 Gay Fathers................................................................................................36 Early Works on Gay Fathers ................................................................36 What about the kids? – The Middle Works .........................................40 v Today’s Gay Father .............................................................................44 History of Adoption in the United States ..................................................51 Prevalence of Adoption in the US.............................................................54 The Face of Adoption in the US...........................................................55 Characteristics of Adoptive Households in the US ..............................56 Types of Adoption.....................................................................................58 Adoption by Gay Men and Lesbians.........................................................63 Adoption by Single, Gay Men..............................................................68 The Political Landscape of Gay Parenting in the US................................71 Conclusion.................................................................................................81 3 METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................82 Overall Approach and Justification...........................................................82 Qualitative Methods and the Current Study ..............................................85 Research Questions ...................................................................................86 Sampling in Qualitative Research .............................................................87 Sampling Strategies of the Current Study ............................................89 Inclusion of Preliminary Interviews ..........................................................91 Role of Researcher ....................................................................................91 Data Collection and Management .............................................................92 Data Analysis ............................................................................................97 Ethical Issues.............................................................................................99 Rigor..........................................................................................................100 vi Limitations of the Study ............................................................................102 Conclusion.................................................................................................104 4 FINDINGS....................................................................................................105 Context ......................................................................................................105 Description of Sample ...............................................................................106 Participant Summaries...............................................................................109 Results .......................................................................................................113 Identity Development.15 Identity Development of Participant............................................115 Stigmatization .19 Paralel Proceses.124 Family Creation .126 Other Methods of Family Creation..............................................126 Characteristics of Child / Type of Adoption................................128 Adoption Proces .134 Political and Legal Context..........................................................138 Family Expansion .142 Parenting .143 Motivation and Preparation for Parenting....................................144 Parenting Experiences.146 Single Parenting .149 vii Transformative Effects of Parenting........................................................151 Children .153 Relationships with Children.........................................................154 Children and Sexual Orientation..................................................155 Children and Adoption.................................................................157 Relationship Transformation .158 Romantic Relationships .158 Relationships with Friends...........................................................162 Relationships with Family of Origin............................................165 Relationships with Employers .....................................................168 Outside Relationships .170 Self-disclosure of Father ..............................................................170 Suport Networks .172 Interaction with Gay Community ................................................175 Impact of Researcher’s Self-disclosure ...................................................177 Sexual Orientation of the Researcher ..........................................177 Researcher’s Parenting Status.178 Conclusion.................................................................................................181 5 IMPLICATIONS .........................................................................................182 Review of Study Purpose ..........................................................................182 Relation to the Findings of Previous Studies ............................................183 Fatherhood .183
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