Edin and fellow researcher Timothy Nelson, a sociology professor at the University of Pennsylvania, conducted a survey of more than 165 men living in impoverished neighborhoods in Camden, N.J., which Edin said is one of the poorest cities in the United States. The sample included only men who had children born out of wedlock, and was comprised of equal numbers of white, black and Puerto Rican respondents. The researchers visited each individual at least twice over a seven-year period.
Even though only 15 percent of the pregnancies in the study were planned, 72 percent of the men reported feeling happy upon learning that they were going to be fathers, Edin said.
Edin gave the example of Andre Green, a participant in the study, who was "ecstatic" when he learned that his ex-girlfriend, Sonya, was pregnant. Green, who was still in high school at the time, had to pretend to be upset and angry about the news because his aunt was concerned about the difficulties he would face as a young father.
"Andre was no 'hit-and-run' father, making children as symbols of their sexual prowess," she said. "He was not yet out of high school, but he insisted that he will always be there for his daughter because he always wanted a child."
Many of the men surveyed viewed fatherhood as an act of bravery, Eden said, because they live in a crime-ridden area. The same year Green learned of his ex-girlfriend's pregnancy, for example, several violent homicides and robberies occurred in his neighborhood. One of these crimes was a double murder of a Vietnamese couple by a burglar who then took the couple's infant daughter hostage in a standoff with police.
"Fathers like Andre embrace fatherhood because raising a baby would seem heroic in contrast to the negativity around them," Edin said.
Several men described their children as "saints" or "redeemers," Edin said. Many of those surveyed said they would have continued to be involved with drugs and crime if not for their children. Some were incarcerated at the time they learned that they were going to be fathers.
Edin also found that low-income men set their own standards for good parenting, which may differ from those of society as a whole. She said many choose to focus on the non-financial aspects of fatherhood, including teaching their daughters about having relationships with men and their sons how to fight.
They provide what monetary support they can, Edin said.
Many fathers also become less involved in their children's lives as the children grow older, primarily because of conflict between parents, Edin said. Many of these conflicts are motivated by financial concerns, Edin said, because many mothers expect fathers to pay child support.
The biological mothers also often find new male partners, who become surrogate parents to the child, isolating the biological father from his offspring, according to Edin.
Audience members asked Edin if the parenting standards set by the fathers in the study, including the level of interaction with their children, were too low to be considered good parenting.
She responded that the fathers believe they are the best parents they can be, even though they may not meet society's standards.
Denise Anthony, chair of the sociology department, which brought Edin to campus, said Edin's lecture supports the sociology department's emphasis on understanding inequality "throughout society and across the globe."
"Edin is an expert in urban poverty and family life -- in particular, understanding the relationship between poverty and fragile families, single mother households and unmarried couples with children," Anthony said.
Students in Sociology 2 and Sociology 55, who read Edin's book about low-income mothers, said they were encouraged to attend the lecture.
"I found it inspirational in a way and very eye-opening," Ariana Almas '11, who is enrolled in Sociology 2, said. "People would not normally assume that low-income males value fatherhood so highly because that is definitely not what the common perception is."
Edin spoke as part of the Reitman-DeGrange Memorial Lecture Series, which allows the sociology department to bring guest speakers to campus to discuss social issues.
