Introduction

1. Implications of a Fatherless Home for GirlsKyle Idoine University of Cincinnati, (Biology/Biomedical Science, Neurobiology)idoinekd@mail.uc.edu • Introduction • The purpose of this study was to study the differences in the psychological and social development of young women who grew up in a home without a prominent father figure as compared to those who grew up in a home with a prominent father figure. Professional Implications To me, it is fairly obvious that if a young woman lacks a male role model, she will look for male affection anywhere, without much care as to what the consequences might be in the long run. Professionally, this says to me that schools need to get more men in the classroom, especially where father absent families are present. These girls need role models. Men that they can look up to, men that wont take advantage of them and will give them the verification that they are craving. During the stage of adolescence, students are struggling to find their identity and often fall into Erickson’s psychological stage of Identity vs. Role Confusion. Without male role models to help answer certain questions, a poor image towards men, and towards themselves could be formed. I volunteer as a mentor to young children in the school district around my house. What I observed over the course of my observations just furthers my convictions that I am doing the right thing by providing these young women with some sort of male companionship. I can’t be there all the time, but I do what I can, helping with homework, getting them to and from their extracurricular activities, and maybe most importantly, I provide them with a man that they can talk to. That is what I believe that these girls are truly looking for. I think that teachers and professionals in education need to be aware of the implications that a fatherless home might present and programs need to be created to get men in the classroom and out of school programs to get them connected to upstanding adults in the community. Methods In order to try and answer my question I performed two different experiments. First, I went to Kings Island to try and observe how young girls acted in a group when there was no male, adult around in comparison to young girls I saw who had an male, adult chaperone. I thought this would give me a good way to observe their actions without them knowing about what I was doing and possibly changing their behavior. The second experiment I performed involved the young girl that I mentor. I took a group of four of her closest friends to the mall. Three of these girls I knew came from fatherless homes, the other two came from what could be considered a nuclear family. At the mall, I took note of the dialogue that the girls had, the words that they used, how sexual they spoke to one another and how they reacted to a young man that they considered to be attractive walked by. I did not give any input and mostly just sat back, making sure that nothing happened to threaten their safety. With my lack of input, the girls seemed to forget I was there and really let me get a great look and the mindset of developing teenage girls. Research Question How do young women act differently with men, sexually and emotionally, when they grow up in a home where a prominent father figure is not present when compared to a family that can be considered a nuclear family? Background Literature Peer Acceptance- Likeability, or the extent to which a child is viewed by a group of age-mates. Delinquency- Engaging in any activity that can be classified as high risk. i.e. drugs, alcohol, sexual activity Identity vs. Role Confusion- In Erikson’s theory, the psychological conflict of adolescence, which is resolved positively when adolescents attain an identity after a period of exploration and inner soul-searching Research into the psychological development of young women and men has yielded some very interesting results. In one study, 152 adolescence were selected at random. The group was split into two groups, experimental and control. The students were then given a self-conscience questionnaire. Through the experimentations, it was found that there was absolutely no statistical difference between the physiological development in adolescence who were raised in a single parent home and a home where both parents were present. The conclusion that the experimenters developed was that the difference that manifests itself between these two kinds of people, is one strictly of moral sense; since they do not differ in a physiological sense. Another study suggested that mainstream society has given women a “super-woman” complex. They feel like they need to be able to do everything and need to be able to do it well. This idea has come around predominantly due to the feminist movement. It was found that young girls who grow up in a fatherless home struggle with this idea more than most because they don’t have the approval of a male role-model in their life, as a result, they look for approval else where and often get involved in high risk behaviors. Results From my Kings Island experimentation I concluded one major thing. When there was no male, adult around, the young girls were much more physical. In almost every group I saw, young girls with a male, adult the kids, both male and female, were very calm and relaxed. There were outliers who would be running around in the fog and trying to scare the other kids, but for the most part they were well behaved, and nobody was touching one another. At one point, I saw a little try to give another little boy a kiss and the father stepped in very quickly, putting a stop to the behavior immediately. On the other hand, if no man was around, the girls were all over the boys; hugging them, kissing them, teasing them, the girls were having a field day. Though I do not know whether or not these kids came from fatherless homes, I found it interesting how quickly their behavior changed when a male figure was present as apposed to the absence of one. When I was at the mall I was able to gain a little more insight. The girls who came from fatherless homes were quick to “holler” at young boys. What this meant was if they saw someone they found attractive, they were not shy to yell across the mall, in broken English, and try to get the attention of the young man. The two other girls who came from nuclear homes did not once participate in trying to get the attention of other boys at the mall. The other thing that I found extremely disturbing was how quickly the young girls, who did not have a father figure, were to talk about what they wanted to do to the young boys in their life sexually, as well as other delinquent behaviors. These young girls were 14 years old, and they were talking about having sex with these boys in their lives. The other girls chimed in with their opinion of the subject every once in a while, but it seemed more to gain peer acceptance, rather than interest in the topic. Why I Chose This Topic The main reason I chose this topic was due to the young woman that I mentor. I wanted to get inside of her head. Try to understand why she chooses to make the decisions that she does. I came from the epitome of the American family; a mom, a dad, two brothers, a dog and a white picket fence. I felt that I could not relate to her because I had never seen anyone try to deal with their family being one of the biggest sources of pain and suffering in their life. Through my observations I believe I gained some insight as to why she does the things that she does, why she doesn’t talk about her dad, why she tries to find value in boys. It has helped me figure out how I can best help her grow into the successful student and adult that I know she can be References Foster, B. (2000, November 01). The Secret Life of Teenage Girls. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/the-secret-life-of-teenage-girls/ Vecek A (09/01/2009). “Biological aspects of the development and self-concept in adolescents ling in single-parents families.”. Collegium antropologicum (0350-6134), 33(3), p. 873.