The Role and Impact of Arab Fathers

Abstract

Research over the past twenty years has found that fathers play an important role in their children’s development. However, the literature on fatherhood is still limited, particularly in the Arab world. This paper uses data from a mixed-method pilot study of sixty-one Arabs residing in the United Arab Emirates to examine the nature and impact of father involvement in the Arab region. The findings indicate that Arab fathers score highly on the good provider role, but low on responsible paternal engagement, which includes father involvement in the child’s education and related activities. We also find that the more positively involved a father has been in his child’s life, the higher the child’s self-esteem tends to be. In addition, the results show that experiences of father involvement vary according to the gender of the child, socioeconomic status, and nationality. These findings have important implications for understanding the nature of Arab father involvement and serve as a prelude to a larger study of father involvement across the Arab region.

Parental Involvement and the Impact of Fathers on the Education and Career Aspirations of Emirati Youth

“…8 Due to concerns of survey fatigue and in the interest of brevity, father involvement was focused on in this study given that existing literature has demonstrated its importance on self-esteem and education outcomes compared to mother involvement. See for example: Coltrane (1989), Fecht (2017, Lam et al (2012), Maslow (1987), Ridge & Jeon (2020), and Ridge et al (2018). 9 Dick's ( 2004) Fatherhood Scale is a 64-item instrument, composed of Likert-scale questions that ask respondents about their relationships with their fathers across nine subscales.…”

“…1 Borgonovi & Montt, 2012;Trautwein et al, 2006;OECD, 2010;Ridge & Jeon, 2020;Alsuwaidi, 20122 OECD, 2012Borgonovi & Montt, 2012;Hampen-Thompson et al, 2013, 246;Ho, 20103 Hill & Tyson, 2009Al-Taneiji, 2013;Borgonovi & Montt, 2012;Spera, 20054 Coltrane, 1989Lam et al, 2012;Maslow, 1987 5 Ridge & Jeon, 2020; Ridge et al, 2018;Fecht, 20176 MOHESR, 2015OECD, 2014OECD, , 2016Ridge, Kippels, & Chung, 2017 7 Although existing literature has argued that fathers in fact draw lines, we do not negate a mother-father relationship in which red-lines are developed and/or negotiated. That said, we encourage additional research that explores this critical space, and how policymakers can best support the optimal outcomes for families, communities, and the nation as a whole.…”

Parental Control and Career Decision-making Among Arab Women in the United Arab Emirates

“…Moreover, in Arab culture, commitment to the family is key, and it is through family that religious and cultural notions of connection, obedience, and respect for elders are emphasized and ingrained (Oweis et al, 2012). Arab adolescents generally have a high degree of connectedness to their families; female adolescents, in particular, are known to be generally more connected to their families than males Ridge et al, 2018).…”

“…Arab women have become increasingly educated (Hamdan, 2006;Mazawi, 1999;Metcalfe, 2008;Ridge, 2014;World Bank, 2013), and have occupied more positions in the public sphere than ever before (Elamin & Omair, 2010). Yet, despite sociocultural reforms and modernization, the contemporary Arab world continues to retain some of its conservative traditions, values, and patriarchal social structures ( Jabeen, 2010;Metle, 2002;Sidani, 2005), including the emphasis on stereotypical gender roles in many families (Ridge et al, 2018).…”

“…Arab societies operate within patriarchal social structures (Mostafa, 2005), that are characterized by a unique system of cultural values and traditions, including traditional gender role perceptions of men as primary breadwinners and women as nurturers of children (El Safty, 2004;Elamin & Omair, 2010;Moghadam, 2004;Ridge et al, 2018;World Bank, 2013). As such, theories originating from extant Western literature cannot be extended to Arab youth.…”