Young Unwed Fathers

Robert I. Lerman is Professor of Economics at The American University. He is co-author (with Andrew Hahn) of What Works in Youth Employment Policy?

• Acknowledgments 1. Introduction: Evolution of Unwed Fatherhood as a Policy Issue Robert I. Lerman and Theodora J. Ooms Part I: Who Young Unwed Fathers Are 2. A National Profile of Young Unwed Fathers Robert I. Lerman 3. Young Fathers and Parenting in a Central City Mercer L. Sullivan 4. Sex Codes and Family Life Among Poor Inner-City Youths Elijah Anderson 5. Risking Paternity: Sex and Contraception Among Adolescent Males Freya L. Sonenstein, Joseph H. Pleck, and Leighton C. Ku 6. When and Why Fathers Matter: Impacts of Father Involvement on the Children of Adolescent Mothers Frank F. Furstenberg, Jr. and Kathleen Mullan Harris Part II: Rights and Obligations 7. Legal Rights and Obligations: An Uneven Evolution Ruth-Arlene W. Howe 8. Ethical Dimensions of Young Unwed Fatherhood George W. Harris Part III: Policies and Programs 9. Creating Federal Leadership in Research and Policy Development Linda Mellgren 10. Paternity Actions and Young Fathers Esther Wattenberg 11. The Problems and Promise of Child Support Policies Sandra K. Daziger, Carolyn K. Kastner, and Terri J. Nickel 12. In-Kind Contributions as Child Support: The Teen Alternative Parenting Program Maureen A. Pirog-Good 13. Involving Unwed Fathers in Adoption Counseling and Teen Pregnancy Programs M. Laurie Leitch, Anne M. Gonzalez, and Theodora J. Ooms 14. The Role of Unwed Fathers in the Abortion Decision Arthur B. Shostak 15. Service Programs to Help Unwed Fathers Joelle Sander 16. Employment Patterns of Unwed Fathers and Public Policy Robert I. Lerman List of Contributors Index

"An important resource for scholars, policymakers and social service providers....devoted to economic, demographic, ethical, legal, public policy, psychological, social service, subcultural and sociological issues relevant to young fathers. This volume contributes to the ongoing process of reframing the early pregnancy an childbearing literature to include young fathers. The empirical chapters include quantitative analyses of national surveys, ethnographic studies of inner-city young men and program evaluations....provide[s] up-to-date overviews of recent policy and programmatic initiatives."-Journal of Adolescence