Post-modern Perspective on the Economics of African American Fatherhood

The economics of African American fatherhood have not been effectively conveyed to social work practitioners. The prevailing assumption of African American fathers by practitioners is that they are absent or dysfunctional. Despite the existence of successful African American fathers, bias in the literature and practice reinforce deficit models as African American. To eliminate bias, social scientists and human service practitioners must devise constructs reflective of the strengths of African American fatherhood. The present paper will bring clarity to ecological factors that impact fatherhood for African Americans and provide human service practitioners more informed perspectives to assist in working with Black families.