“They’re Only a Quarter”: A Duoethnographic Exploration of Multiracial Fatherhood

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Please see the attached report.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Please find our responses attached.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Thank you for the hard work behind the article entitled, ““They’re Only a Quarter”: A Duoethnographic Exploration of 2 Multiracial Fatherhood.” It was an immense pleasure to read this work and I appreciated the careful consideration and thought that went into this project and that you both are willing to share such intimate aspects of your personal lives with the academic community. It is incredibly well done. I do have some suggestions that I would encourage you to consider in revising this manuscript, which can be reviewed below:

• I encourage the authors to consider capitalizing the term Multiracial (or adding a justification for not capitalizing it beyond APA guidelines) especially given the focus of monoracism and critical Multiracial theory in the paper
• See Atkin, A. L., Christophe, N. K., Stein, G. L., Gabriel, A. K., & Lee, R. M. (2022). Race terminology in the field of psychology: Acknowledging the growing multiracial population in the U.S. American Psychologist, 77(3), 381–393. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000975
• I also think implementing some of the terminology used in that paper could provide clarity in this paper (e.g., first-generation vs. second generation Multiracial)
• There is still not a general consensus on “who is Multiracial” in the scientific literature - thus I would like to see a quick definition of who the authors consider to be Multiracial in this specific paper so that it is not left for readers to assume 
• The research question feels vague and broad.. I wonder if the authors could offer additional details or insights that led them to embark on this project so that readers could get a clearer sense on what the end objective is. 
• Given the dearth of research that examines Multiracial parents raising Multiracial children - I think it would be helpful to provide more context about the demographics represented in those that do 
• E.g., Song 2017 study; Ashlee & Quaye, 2021; S. H. Chang, 2016
• The subsection on Multiracial Identity and Generational Proximity feels misplaced..I encourage the authors to consider whether that information could be moved up in the manuscript (related to my first point around implementing more explanation of terms)
• This section is thorough in terms of presenting the extant literature but seems to be underdeveloped in terms of the significance it plays in the specific paper…Yes, Multiracial identity/categorization is complex (and Rockquemore 2009 presents the argument for examining identity (e.g., meaning and significance of race to a person’s self concept) and categorization (e.g., the racial label a person uses when presented with a list of options) intentionally… but it is unclear which approach (the former or the latter) is taking priority in this study.. This may seem insignificant but they are theoretically meaningful in relation to the research question presented (e.g., what does it mean to be a Multiracial father?)
• The subsection on White (Multiracial) Privilege is an important one
• The authors argue “against the idea of multiracial privilege and assert that multiracial people with White racial heritage may benefit from White supremacy.” (p. 5)... citing Johnston-Guerrero and Tran (2018) as support.. While I can understand where this argument comes from, I think it needs more attention and unpacking in the article… Many Multiracial people (including those without white racial ancestry) practice racial malleability/flexibility/code switching (see Sanchez et al., 2009 + Sarah Gaither’s work)... which some may argue is a distinct form of Multiracial privilege.. Given this opposing view (which holds some legitimacy), I think the authors need to expand this section and more intentionally contend with the complexity of the argument
• Especially considering differences in the lived experiences of 1st vs. 2nd generation Multiracial people (which is illuminated in the findings when the fathers discuss the privileges their children will have in comparison to their own life experiences)
• The results section seemed to portray a discussion that resolved largely around men raising sons. Moreover, the men discuss the role(s) that their father(s) played in their own socialization. While the latter makes sense given the scope of the paper.. One of the fathers has a daughter and it raises the question of what Multiracial fatherhood means in relation to gender of the child. In this case a Multiracial father is raising a second generation Multiracial girl and literature suggests that boys and girls can be racialized differently (as well as subjected to different stereotypes). This may be an important point to acknowledge in the discussion.
• Suggestions – consider drawing on parent racial humility work as it is an academic construct that aligns very much with the perspectives shared regarding wanting to learn about race from your own children and giving them space to explore race for themselves

Author Response

Please find our responses attached.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

I enjoyed reading this revised manuscript. It is now more coherent and tightly argued. I also found the discussion transcript and the subsequent analysis to be more resonant and focused. The increased focus on generational locus, and on 2nd generation multiraciality is helpful. 

Overall, this article is nicely written. But on p. 4, line 164: [This passage needs to be revised – it’s confusing and awkward]: Among research of DNA testing and racial discourses, Roth and colleagues (2020)  demonstrated test results broadly had insignificant impact on beliefs about race. Rather, the level that test takers understood genetics was more predictive of challenging or supporting racial discourses, with those with lower levels of genetic knowledge reinforcing essentialist beliefs.

Author Response

See attached.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf