Understanding the Challenges of Fatherhood
In today’s society, the expectations for fathers to be more involved with parenting and contributing at home have increased. However, low-income men face significant barriers due to changing social, political, and economic circumstances.
The Setup: A Systemic Problem
It’s a Setup, written by Timothy Black and Sky Keyes, shines a light on the lives of low-income fathers through 138 life history interviews. The authors expose the contradiction between rapidly changing norms and expectations of father involvement, and the deteriorating labor force and state support for fathering on the margins.
Key Challenges Faced by Fathers
- Job precarity and unemployment
- Welfare cuts and reduced support
- Punitive child support courts
- Public housing neglect and lack of affordable housing
- The criminalization of poverty
Without transformative systemic change, individual determination is not enough. Fathers on the social and economic margins are setup to fail. It’s a Setup provides a powerful narrative that highlights the need for systemic change to support low-income fathers and their families.




Reviews
There are no reviews yet.