Boyz N the Hood: Father absence in America

Matthew Edison

Imagine yourself immersed in a world where approaching vehicles may mask death, where simple arguments can turn deadly, and where gunfire exists as a daily reality. Now, imagine struggling through such a world without your father’s support. For many characters in John Singleton’s film, Boyz N the Hood, this exists as a reality. Boyz N the Hood includes, among many topics, a father's essential role in his son's healthy development and the disastrous effects a father’s absence has on children and society. Arthur Salm’s review (1991) reveals that the main character, Tre, has a father who strongly influences and guides him (p. C-1). His father's involvement in his life allows Tre to learn about responsibility, dedication, and morality (p. C-1). As a result, Tre avoids the social problems that pervade his South Central Los Angeles neighborhood, such as selling drugs, gang involvement, addiction, and violence (p. C-1). However, Tre’s peers, who lack fathers, often fall victim to such problems (p. C-1). Through the film it is clear the father is extremely important in properly raising and teaching his son; consequently father absence has many negative effects on the son. Indeed, father absence is an extremely serious and fast growing social problem facing America today. Besides its disastrous effects on the son’s mental and social development, father absence also poses serious threats for society, including gang-violence, delinquency, increased crime rates, and increases in drug abuse and addiction.

According to Popenoe (1996) delinquency and involvement in crime rank high among the many detrimental effects which father absence has on children. Reported violent crime has increased 550 percent between 1960 and 1996. The population, on the other hand, has increased only 41 percent. Between 1983 and 1992, juvenile arrest rates for murder increased 128 percent (p. 61). According to Popenoe, such increased crime rates, especially those perpetrated by juveniles, represent a serious consequence which father absence has for society. For example, in A General Theory of Crime, written in 1990, two criminologists, Michael R. Gottfredson and Travis Hirschi, conclude that children living in single-parent families are more likely to involve themselves in crime than children in families where both parents are present (Popenoe, p. 62). Popenoe also presents statistical information, concerning criminal percentages, which reveals that most violent criminals are from single-parent families without fathers. Popenoe mentions, "Sixty percent of America’s rapists, 72 percent of adolescent murderers, and 70 percent of long-term prison inmates come from fatherless homes" (p. 63). Conclusions gained from 50 major studies on the family structure’s effects on child development and children’s actions in society revealed that father absence serves as a key factor in delinquency and crime (Popenoe, p. 62). The studies were synthesized to reveal that children from families without fathers are more likely to involve themselves in delinquency (Popenoe, p. 62). Of course this does not imply that all children who experience father absence will involve themselves in delinquent activities, only that there exists a higher chance that some will. The delinquency that results from father absence also includes gang violence. In their article Lahey, Gordon, Loeber, Stouthamer-Loeber, & Farrington (1999) revealed that family structure and involvement are causes behind adolescent gang entry. They found that almost half the gang members they interviewed grew up in a single-parent home (pp. 261-267).

In Boyz N the Hood the main character, Tre, is one of the few boys in the neighborhood who has a father in his life. As a result, he is able to avoid the delinquency and crime, such as gang involvement and violence, that fill his neighborhood. Tre goes to live with his father early in his life. His father teaches Tre to respect life and avoid violence. For example, when Tre is young, his father shoots at a burglar who attempts to rob their house. The burglar escapes unharmed, and Tre says "You should have blew [the robber’s head] off." Tre’s father responds by saying "Don’t say that. Just would have been contributing to killing another brother." Although Tre’s father shoots at the robber, he does so in defense. Still, Tre’s father wants his son to understand that violence is not the answer. As a result, Tre avoids such violence in his neighborhood throughout his life. He does not involve himself in gangs and does not carry or use weapons.

Although Tre succeeds in avoiding involvement in crime and delinquency, many of his peers who endure father absence are not so fortunate. For example, Tre’s friend, Doughboy, lacks a father in his life. Although Doughboy’s mother is present, she favors Doughboy’s brother Ricky. In one scene, Doughboy’s mother cruelly insults him. She says "You ain’t [anything]. You’re just like your daddy. You don’t do anything, and you’re never going to amount to anything. All you ever do around here is eat, sleep…". Doughboy’s response is simply "Is that it? I gotta go."

Doughboy is so accustomed to his mother’s verbal abuse that it does not seem to affect him anymore. However, although he might not appear angry or hurt, his inner self-esteem is most likely severely damaged. Without a father, or even a caring and influential mother in his life, Doughboy involves himself in crime and delinquency. He spends time in prison and involves himself in drug dealing. Eventually, Doughboy participates in gang-related violence and ultimately falls victim to this same violent cycle. Because his father was absent in his life, Doughboy fails to learn about morality, dedication, and responsibility. As a result, he succumbs to his neighborhood’s social ills.

Difficulties in education may also arise in children who lack fathers. Popenoe (1996) mentions another major study, known as the National Surveys of Children, which reveals that children from single-parent families, especially boys who live with only their mother, are more likely to display problematic behavior in school(p. 62). Likewise, in her book (1994), McLanahan also reveals that children who live with only one parent are more likely to do worse in school, attend school less, and to concern themselves less with college. In Boyz N the Hood, a character named Doughboy, who lacks a father, has no academic aspirations. He does not concern himself with an education, either because he is not aware of education’s importance or because he simply does not care. Doughboy’s decreased interest in school and education at least partially results from his father’s absence in his life. Doughboy did not possess a father to teach him about academic responsibility and dedication. On the other hand, the main character, Tre, who does have a father, works hard to escape his neighborhood’s violent cycle by attaining access to a strong, college education. He eventually succeeds when he is accepted to Morehouse College at the film’s end. Through his father’s presence in his life, Tre is also able to avoid the other social ills that inhabit his neighborhood, such as alcohol and drug abuse.

In Boyz N the Hood, Tre’s ability to avoid alcohol and other drugs results from his father guidance and involvement in his life. In one instance, when Trey is offered alcohol from a peer, he simply brushes the container away. Tre’s father has taught him about the harmful consequences that drugs can have, so Tre decides to avoid such dangers. According to Albrecht and Amey’s article (1998), the delinquent and problematic behavior that results from father absence may include drug abuse. Studies have shown that disruptions in family structure, such as father absence, may increase the chances that the child will begin using drugs (pp. 283-289). Biafora (1998) mentions another study that was conducted in Florida over three years and was based upon surveying adolescent males. This study also revealed that family structure plays an important role in affecting the child’s drug use (pp. 373-393). Tre’s friend, Doughboy, involves himself in drug dealing and alcohol abuse. Along with his friends, Doughboy constantly drinks alcohol from the morning into the night while sitting on his porch or walking down the street. Such behavior has at least partially resulted from father absence in Doughboy's life.

Father absence can also affect the way a male views women and sexual relationships. For males, father absence may lead to a decreased respect for women and sex, which leads to an increased chance that fatherless males will take part in early sexual activity and experience fatherhood as teenagers (Ancona, pp. 59-60). In Crisis in America: Father Absence (1998), Frank Ancona presents the father as an essential figure in developing the son’s ability to form lasting and loving relationships with women. From the father, the son learns self-control, maturity, and respect for women (pp. 59-60). When a male child has a father in his life, he learns to view sex as a special and important part of the male-female relationship, in which both partners are equal. However, male children who lack fathers in their lives often view women as less than equal (p. 60). Furthermore, according to Ancona (1998), some males without fathers in their lives are much more likely to participate in casual sex because they possess little respect for females and do not view sex as either special or meaningful. To such males, the purpose of a sexual relationship with a female is to secure their own "macho" identity for themselves and for their peers (p. 60). These male children have not been taught by their fathers to respect women, or to respect sexual relationships (p. 60). As a result, some males who lack fathers often do not understand and/or care about the importance that love, mutual respect, and equality have in a relationship (p. 60). They are simply concerned with using women and sexual relationships as a means to achieve pleasure and gain stamina with their peers (p. 60).

In Boyz N the Hood, unlike Tre’s peers who lack fathers, Tre’s father teaches him to respect women and sexual relationships. When Tre is younger, his father tells him that "Any fool…can make a baby, but only a real man can raise his children." Tre seems to really think about this comment and looks down, as in deep thought. Tre's father also teaches him about safe sex at a young age . Although Tre experiences much peer pressure and almost succumbs to it, he eventually follows his father’s teaching regarding respect for sex and women. At first, Tre reacts to the pressure from his peers to have sex with his girlfriend by attempting to convince her that sex is necessary in order for their relationship to last. In one instance, he tells his girlfriend "You gotta get with the program", implying that she must have sex with him if she wants to remain in the relationship. However, Tre eventually overcomes his friends’ pressure. An example of such pressure occurs when Trey is asked to provide the details of his sexual relationship with his girlfriend. One of Doughboy’s friend actually repeats the words "peer pressure" several times while Doughboy questions Trey. Doughboy is attempting to pressure Trey into revealing whether he had sex with his girlfriend. Trey remains strong, however, and simply says that information is none of their business. Tre’s ability to treat his sexual relationship with his girlfriend respectfully, and as special and meaningful, results from his father’s involvement and influence in his life.

Boyz N the Hood does not really include concrete solutions for preventing father absence, other than the fact that it is extremely important for a father to remain in his son's life. In reality, there are several solutions which address the problem. Before mentioning possible solutions, however, it is important to understand some causes behind father absence. According to Popenoe (1996), two main factors are the increasing divorce rates in American marriages, as well as increasing teenage pregnancy rates (p. 192). With teenage pregnancy, which usually occurs outside of marriage, there is often complete father absence in the child’s life since the father often does not feel committed to assist in raising, teaching, or even loving the child (p. 192). Since both divorce and teenage pregnancy are primary causes behind father absence, stopping these factors is essential in ending the problem. Marriage counseling and both increased and improved education for teenagers concerning the risks that accompany sex would hopefully help to deter divorce and teenage pregnancy (p. 200).

Boyz N the Hood offers an honest and realistic portrayal of father absence in urban America. The film accurately parallels the research concerning father absence’s effects on children and society, including violence, drug abuse, and gang involvement. If lacking anywhere, the film falls somewhat short in providing concrete solutions for preventing father absence. However, it does succeed in stressing the father’s essential role in his son’s development, especially in poorer, urban areas. Although the film is violent, the director has utilized this violence to illustrate important social messages. One such message is indeed father absence, and the disastrous consequences it holds for children and society. In this way, the violence that threatens the characters in Boyz N the Hood is not imaginary, romanticized, or exaggerated. Rather, the violence and other harsh elements that permeate the film are extensions of reality, consequences that can result from father absence. If America truly wishes to stop the numerous social problems that plague the country, it must continue the fight against father absence.

Albrecht, S. L., & Amey, C. H. (1998). Race and ethnic differences in adolescent drug use: the impact of family structure and the quantity and quality of parental interaction. Journal of Drug Issues, 28 (2), 283-289.
 

Albrecht and Amey discuss research that connects race and ethnicity along with family structure and interaction to adolescent drug use. The experiment’s independent variables included age, sex, the area in which the participants live, family income, race and ethnicity, and the family structure and interaction. The scientists examined the effects these variables had on the start and amount of drug use. The results determined that African-American adolescents are less likely to start using drugs than Caucasian and Latino adolescents. Caucasian teens are more likely to drink alcohol and smoke tobacco, and Latinos are more likely to smoke marijuana. The scientists found that age determines drug use more than ethnicity or race, because the older the teenager, the more drugs he or she has tried, and the higher the chance for addiction. The family structure contributes to tobacco and marijuana use, but not alcohol use. Since African-American teens commonly live with more extended family than white teenagers, relatives may discourage drug use among African-American adolescents. The study suggests that African-American families influence their children more than Latinos and whites. Commonly a single-parent African-American family displays more effectiveness than a two-parent African-American family. This research contradicts the belief that the conventional nuclear family structure raises children best.

Ancona, F. (1998). Crisis in America: father absence (pp. 59-60). Commack, New York: Nova Science Publishers.
 

Ancona concerns father absence as a growing problem in American families. According to Ancona, a father's absence harms children and causes societal problems, such as violence, gang involvement, drug addiction, and teenage pregnancy. In one section Ancona presents the father as an essential figure in the son’s ability to form lasting and loving relationships with women. From the father, the son learns to utilize self-control, to act maturely, and to respect women. When a male child has a father in his life, he learns to view sex as a special and important component in the male-female relationship, in which both partners are equal. However, for male children who lack fathers in their lives, women are often viewed as less than equal. Males without fathers in their lives are much more likely to participate in casual sex, because they have little respect for females and do not view sex as either special or meaningful. These males did not have fathers in their life to teach them to respect women or to respect sexual relationships.

Gil, A. G., Vega, W. A., & Biafora, F. (1998). Temporal influences of family structure and family risk factors on drug use initiation in a multiethnic sample of adolescent boys. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 27 (3), 373-393.
 

Gil, Vega, and Biafora analyze the effects family structures and family risk factors have on black, Hispanic, and white adolescent boys and their drug use. They wanted to compare the family structures and family risk factors in the three ethnic groups to determine just how much influence the family had on drug use among male adolescents. Previous family influence studies had concluded that the two-parent nuclear family was the most beneficial to teenagers and later found evidence that alternative family structures were just as efficient as the two-parent family. Evidence also proves that family structure and some family risk factors are specific to each ethnic group. Scientists were able to draw conclusions on family influence and drug use based upon male adolescents in Florida who answered surveys over three years. They divided the families into four types: two-parent families, single-mother families, mother and other adult families, and families that changed from the two-parent type to any other type. Gil, Vega, and Biafora also took into account the effects which family pride, family cohesion, family communication, family drug use problems, and parent derogation play. The scientists analyzed how family structure affects drug abuse, how family risk factors affect each ethnic group’s drug use, and how family risk factors and family structure combine to affect drug use.

Lahey, B. B., Gordon, R. A., Loeber,R., Stouthamer-Loeber, M., & Farrington, D. P. (1999). Boys who join gangs: A prospective study of predictors of first gang entry. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 27 (4), 261-267.
 

Lahey, Loeber concerns the factors that cause adolescent gang involvement. Lahey, Gordon, Loeber, and Stouthamer-Loeber considered "conduct disorder behavior", peers, family income, and parental supervision as possible causes behind adolescent gang involvement. An analysis of the Rochester Youth Development Study identified insufficient parental supervision as a minor cause of gang entry. The Seattle Social Development Project also revealed that a family’s changing structure is another contributing cause to gang membership. Lahey, Gordon, Loeber, and Stouthamer-Loeber conducted a similar experiment to find gang membership causes. Their results revealed family structure and involvement as partial causes behind gang involvement. They found that almost half the gang members they interviewed grew up in a single-parent home. They did not consider this statistic important, but they included lack of parental supervision as a factor behind adolescent gang entry.

McLanahan, S. (1994) Growing up without a father. In C. R. Daniels (Ed.), Lost fathers (pp. 86-87). New York: St. Martin’s Press.
 

This section of McLanahan’s book concerns how father absence affects child development, as well as the negative social implications for those effects. Such consequences for children include an increased teen pregnancy rate and leaving school. McLanahan presents statistical information to support her claim that father absence has negative effects on children. For example, from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, a study conducted in 1979, it was shown females who grow up without fathers are 2.5 times more likely to experience teenage pregnancy. The study also showed that male and female children who lack fathers are 1.4 as likely to leave school. McLanahan also revealed that children who live with only one parent are more likely to do less well in school, to concern themselves less with college, and to attend school less.

Popenoe, D. (1996) Life without father (pp. 62-63,192, 200). New York: The Free Press.
 

Popenoe’s discussions concern how father absence affects child development and the negative factors that consequently arise in society, such as juvenile delinquency and violence. Popenoe uses much statistical information to support his claim, including increased percentages of violent crime and arrests of juveniles for murder. Popenoe also includes information on conclusions gained from 50 major studies concerning the family structure’s effects on child development and children’s actions in society, including delinquency. A synthesis of the studies concluded that children from families without fathers are more likely to involve themselves in delinquency. Another major study, known as the National Surveys of Children, revealed similar patterns. Popenoe also included statistical information concerning criminal percentages, which showed that the majority of violent criminals are from single-parent families without fathers. In another section Popenoe discusses the causes behind and possible remedies for father absence. Although there are several causes, two main factors are the increasing divorce rates in American marriages, as well as the increasing teenage pregnancy rate. Since both divorce and teenage pregnancy are primary causes for father absence, stopping these factors is essential in ending the problem.

Salm, A. (1991, July 12). Raw realism; Boyz N the Hood’ disturbing, entertaining [Review of the film Boyz N the Hood’]. The San Diego Union-Tribune, p. C-1.
 

Salm’s review Boyz N the Hood presents a brief summary, as well as mentioning the film’s strong messages and values for modern society. The movie revealed that the main character, named Tre, has a father who strongly influences and guides his development during his young life. Through his father’s involvement in his life, Tre learns responsibility and dedication, and successfully avoids the social problems that affect his peers. Such social problems include selling drugs, involvement in gangs, addiction, and violence. Tre works hard not to become involved in these activities, and instead wishes to escape his neighborhood’s violent cycle through a strong, college education. On the other hand, Tre’s friend, Doughboy, lacks a father in his life. Although Doughboy’s mother is in his life, she favors Doughboy’s brother Ricky over him. Without a father, or even a caring and influential mother in his life, Doughboy spends time in prison and involves himself in drug dealing. He eventually participates in gang-related violence and ultimately falls victim to the neighborhood’s violent cycle.

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