1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«This paper explores the question of intentionality when young men become fathers.» (p. 289)

Questions/Hypothèses :
«Is fatherhood and accident, due to a lack of responsibility or of knowledge regarding sexuality?» (p. 289) The author investigates the hypothesis named «[...] the desire to become a parent [...].» (p. 289)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
The sample includes «[…] 30 young men who fathered a child with women under the age of 20. Participants, from the city of Gatineau […] were recruited through a service designed for young parents at a Community Services Center.» (p. 293) This research «[...] focuses on a subset of the 30 subjects, namely those 16 individuals who reported an ambivalent or expressed desire for fatherhood.» (p. 294)

Instruments :
- Guide d’entretien semi-directif
- Questionnaires socio-démographique

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse de contenu

3. Résumé

«The question of desire for parenthood has already been raised for young mother; it must also be addressed for young fathers. At the very least, the assumption that precocious fatherhood as an ‘accident’ must be deconstructed. Two of the 16 young men discussed in this paper clearly did not consider their fatherhood as an accident, and the other 14 reported their experience and organized their life in ways that illustrate that a certain level of desire for fatherhood. In general, their socioeconomic situation improved as a result of their new life choices. This study ended when the fathers’ children were only a year old; therefore, it is impossible to verify if the intention of young men to stay involved with their child was in fact acted upon in the longer term. [...] [T]he young fathers believed their experience of fatherhood helped them to mature and improve their self image, adopt a healthier lifestyle, and set goals that gave them a direction in life. Fatherhood seemed to be a powerful factor in social integration through their infant. These results demand a new approach in social politics and practices for young fathers deemed ‘at risk’. There need to be a shift to a recognition of the strengths of young fathers, the meanings of their experience for them, and the choices they made to fulfill their role.» (p. 306)