Browsing by Subject "Father"

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    Cross-border fathering: The lived experience of Mexican immigrant fathers
    (2009-01-16T17:14:33Z) Navarro, Daniel E.; Sullivan, William P.; Kim, Hea-Won; Queiro-Tajalli, Irene; Horton-Deutsch, Sara
    This phenomenological study explores the lived experience of Mexican immigrant fathers who migrate to and settle in the United States initially alone and eventually bring the rest of their families from Mexico to join them permanently. This project explores fathers’ understanding of their fathering efforts along the journey of migration; from departure from Mexico to family resettlement in the U.S. There is a conspicuous paucity of research focusing on the fathering experience among these men. In addition, negative stereotypes about the Mexican men in general abound. Thus, this study clarifies and contributes to the existing knowledge about these men. Fifteen Mexican immigrant fathers participated in the study through extensive qualitative interviews and field observation. Interviews were carried out in Spanish, audio taped, and simultaneously translated and transcribed into English. Data were treated through the process of phenomenological reduction. Nine core themes emerged: (1) fathers immigrate to rescue their families from poverty and fulfill what they perceive to be their roles as breadwinners; (2) they could not embark upon this journey without the support of family and kin in both countries; (3) they sacrifice themselves and their families as well; (4) despite the geographical distance, their fathering efforts involve much more than providing for their children; (5) they vow to ensure that neither they nor their families would ever experience certain risks again; (6) once in the U.S., they experience a type of poverty they did not anticipate; (7) due to immigration policy, the border is never left behind; (8) the role of the wife is significant throughout the father’s experience; and (9) despite the challenges experienced, fathers recognize and appreciate the gains from their decisions to engage in cross-border fathering. The essence of the phenomenon involves the recognition that although the Mexico - U.S. border is left behind after crossing the border, the father never stops crossing familial, social, and psychological borders. As a triangulation strategy, five professionals with significant experience working with Mexican immigrant families were also interviewed. Implications for practice, education, research, and policy are identified and discussed. Questions about the future of this population group are raised.
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    Embryo Adoption: Implications of Personhood, Marriage, and Parenthood
    (2008-04-14T12:30:19Z) McMillen, Brooke Marie; Brand, Peggy Zeglin; Eberl, Jason T.; Burke, Michael B.
    One’s personal claims regarding personhood will influence his moral belief regarding embryo adoption. In Chapter One, I consider the personhood of the human embryo. If the human embryo is a person, we are morally obligated to permit the practice of embryo adoption as an ethical means to save human persons. However, for those who do not claim that an embryo is a person at conception, embryo adoption is not a necessary practice because we have no moral obligation to protect them. There are still others who claim that personhood is gained at some point during gestation when certain mental capacities develop. I offer my own claim that consciousness and sentience as well as the potential to be self-conscious mark the beginning of personhood. Embryo adoption raises several questions surrounding the institution of marriage. Due to its untraditional method of procreation, embryo adoption calls into question the role of procreation within marriage. In Chapter Two, I explore the nature of the marriage relationship by offering Lisa Cahill’s definition of marriage which involves both a spiritual and physical dimension, and then I describe the concept of marriage from different perspectives including a social, religious, and a personal perspective. From a personal perspective, I explore the relationship between marriage and friendship. Finally, I describe how the concept of marriage is understood today and explore the advantages to being married as opposed to the advantages of being single. Embryo adoption changes the way we customarily think about procreation within a family because in embryo adoption, couples are seeking an embryo from another union to be implanted into the woman. This prompts some philosophers to argue that embryo adoption violates the marriage relationship. In Chapter Three, I further consider the impact of embryo adoption on the family as an extension of the marital relationship as well as the impact of embryo adoption on the traditional roles of motherhood and fatherhood. I examine motherhood by looking at how some philosophers define motherhood and when these philosophers claim a woman becomes a mother. After considering these issues regarding motherhood, I examine the same issues surrounding fatherhood. Peg Brand, PhD., Chair