Fatherhood in men of Greek descent

Abstract

This project utilized a qualitative research methodology to generate hypotheses about the fathering experiences of men of Greek descent. Five focus groups were conducted with a total of 21 fathers. The fathers were recruited from personal contacts and by word of mouth. All the men were from New York City and northern New Jersey. The men were predominantly middle and upper middle class. A set of predetermined questions was asked each group. The focus groups were audiotaped and videotaped and their responses were transcribed verbatim. The transcripts constituted the data of the study.;The data was analyzed using a grounded theory technique that generated three levels of categorical analysis. The first level consisted of text-based categories, which were ideas that were repetitively generated by the fathers. The next level was constructed by the clustering of the text-based repeating ideas into coherence-based cultural themes. These cultural themes were then organized by higher level theoretical concepts to develop a narrative description of the fathering experiences in the men of Greek descent.;The narrative captures the father's traditional mode of parenting as it was handed down to them from the preceding generation. In general, social support, institutions, reciprocal relationships, culture, and ideology formed a basis upon which a stable model of transmission of traditional fathering emerged. Also examined were potential factors that could create transition and change in the paternal role in this culture.