Fatherhood, fathering and fathers Research Papers (original) (raw)

The purpose of this research is to point out a model of fatherhood among some haredi families in Israel that deviates from stereotypes about parenting in traditional or fundamentalist societies. These fathers are intensely involved with the upbringing of their children and with domestic chores. But in order to navigate societal pressures both from within the haredi community and from general Israeli society, these fathers tend to conceal this involvement.
Parental roles are expected to be highly hierarchical in societies governed by tradition with men serving as breadwinners who spend much of their time outside the home while women are responsible for domestic chores and childrearing. However, due to unique circumstances created in Israel, large numbers of haredi families have chosen a model of parenthood in which the mother is the primary breadwinner while the father willingly takes on chores considered to be motherly according to traditional stereotypes.
Interviews were conducted with twenty families in which the husband is a full time yeshiva (kolel) scholar who spends many hours of the day at home and with the children while the wife is the sole breadwinner. All families had at least three children. Semi-structured interviews were also carried out with these yeshiva students’ wives and with mothers of yeshiva fathers. Analysis of the texts rests on the qualitative method and adopts a phenomenological approach.

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- Religion, Masculinity, Fatherhood, fathering and fathers

This paper outlines a theory explaining why the provider role is important to boys in the development of their masculine identity. The family is a primary site for identity formation, and boys appear to be more badly affected by growing up in non-intact families than girls. Female identity is more marked by biological transitions (e.g. pregnancy), and gives mothers a more central role within the family than fathers. Thus the male role within the family – the provider role-needs to be socially and culturally constructed. Where the father is absent and the role is devalued, transition from boyhood to manhood is made difficult, and masculinity may be problematized as 'hegemonic', 'toxic', and 'hyper'. Solutions from traditional cultures are discussed.

- by Belinda Brown
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- Gender Studies, Education, Social Anthropology, Sex and Gender
- by Marlize Rabe
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- Fatherhood, fathering and fathers
- by Justyna Sempruch
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- Cultural Studies, Gender Studies, Queer Studies, Family studies

Dishion and Patterson's work on the unique role of fathers in the coercive family process showed that fathers' coercion explained twice the variance of mothers' in predicting children's antisocial behavior and how treatment and prevention of coercion and promotion of prosocial parenting can mitigate children's problem behaviors. Using these ideas, we employed a sample of 426 divorced or separated fathers randomly assigned to Fathering Through Change (FTC), an interactive online behavioral parent training program or to a waitlist control. Participating fathers had been separated or divorced within the past 24 months with children ages 4 to 12 years. We tested an intent to treat (ITT) mediation hypothesis positing that intervention-induced changes in child problem behaviors would be mediated by changes in fathers' coercive parenting. We also tested complier average causal effects (CACE) models to estimate intervention effects, accounting for compliers and noncompliers in the treatment group and would-be compliers in the controls. Mediation was supported. ITT analyses showed the FTC obtained a small direct effect on father-reported pre-post changes in child adjustment problems (d = .20), a medium effect on pre-post changes in fathers' coercive parenting (d = .61), and a moderate indirect effect to changes in child adjustment (d = .30). Larger effects were observed in CACE analyses.

- by Dave DeGarmo and +1
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- Parenting, Fatherhood, fathering and fathers, Intervention, Parent Training Programs

The leadership role of the man in context of family and church is indeed a sensitive topic. The leadership role of the man has significant impact on the wellbeing of the family and church, which in turn has a significant impact on society. This article encompasses data analysis of the quantitative research (questionnaires) that were conducted within five selected evangelical churches in Johannesburg, South Africa. The question that this study endeavours to answer is: Which factors have contributed to men not functioning effectively in their role as spiritual leaders in context of family and church? The article describes the important leadership role that the man fulfils in the context of the family and church and the role that the church has in equipping men for leadership in the two contexts. The article provides a description of the research process related to the quantitative data analysis and its results. This article comes from a chapter in a larger study from a PhD dissertation: The leadership role of the man in context of the family and church: A Pastoral-Theological study.

- by Fazel Ebrihiam Freeks and +1
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- Manhood, Fatherhood, fathering and fathers, Fatherhood of God, The Role of Father

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to extensively report the implications of the global trend of declining fertility rates and an increasingly ageing population. The experiences of childless men are mostly absent from gerontological, psychological, reproduction, and sociological, research. These disciplines have mainly focussed on family formation and practices, whilst the fertility intentions, history, and experience of men have been overlooked. Not fulfilling the dominant social status of parenthood provides a significant challenge to both individual and cultural identity. Distress levels in both infertile men and women have been recorded as high as those with grave medical conditions. Design/methodology/approach The aim of this paper is to provide some insight into the affect involuntarily childless has on the lives of older men. This auto/biographical qualitative study used a pluralistic framework drawn from the biographical, feminist, gerontological, and life course approaches. Data were gathered from in-depth semi-structured biographical interviews with 14 self-defined involuntary men aged between 49 and 82 years from across the UK. A broad thematic analysis highlighted the complex intersections between involuntary childlessness and agency, biology, relationships, and socio-cultural structures. Findings Diverse elements affected the men’s involuntary childlessness: upbringing, economics, timing of events, interpersonal skills, sexual orientation, partner selection, relationship formation and dissolution, bereavement, and the assumption of fertility. The importance of relationship quality was highlighted for all the men: with and without partners. Quality of life was affected by health, relationships, and social networks. Awareness of “outsiderness” and a fear of being viewed a paedophile were widely reported. Research limitations/implications This is a study based on a small self-selecting “fortuitous” sample. Consequently care should be taken in applying the findings to the wider population. Originality/value Health and social care policy, practice and research have tended to focus on family and women. The ageing childless are absent and excluded from policy, practice, and research. Recognition of those ageing without children or family is urgent given that it is predicted that there will be over two million childless people aged 65 and over by 2030 (approximately 25 per cent of the 65 and over population). The consequences for health and social care of individuals and organisations are catastrophic if this does not happen.

- by Dr Robin A Hadley
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- Critical Theory, Sociology, Psychology, Evolutionary Psychology

Economic provisioning continues to be the essence of ‘good’ fathering and the work schedules associated with fathers’ employment remain a key factor which shapes their involvement in childcare and domestic work at home. However, the relative impact of fathers’ and mothers’ employment hours on paternal involvement in childcare is unclear, and little is known about the longer term impact, that is, whether a work arrangement organised when the child is under a year old has an impact on paternal involvement when the child is aged three. Here, we focus on employed couples and explore the association that mothers’ and fathers’ employment hours have with paternal involvement when their child is three years old. Multivariate analysis using the UK’s Millennium Cohort Study reveals that it is the mothers’ employment hours when the child is aged three that has the largest association with paternal involvement in childcare at this stage in the child’s life, independent of what hours the father works. Furthermore, both fathers’ and mothers’ employment hours when the child was nine months old have a longitudinal influence on paternal involvement when the child reaches three years old, but it is the hours worked by the mother when the child was aged nine months that has the stronger association with paternal involvement at age three. This suggests that mothers’ work schedules are more important than fathers’ for fostering greater paternal involvement in both the immediate and longer term.

- by Helen Norman and +2
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- Fatherhood, Parenting/childcare, Fatherhood, fathering and fathers, Work-Life Balance
- by Patrick Govers
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- Masculinity, Fatherhood, fathering and fathers
- by Pelle Åberg
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- Gender Studies, Fatherhood, Fatherhood, fathering and fathers, Russia
- by Itzhak Benyamini
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- Christianity, Psychology, Psychoanalysis, Psychosis

Számos kutatás igazolja, hogy a magyar társadalom értékrendje a nemi szerepeket illetően inkább tradicionálisnak tekinthető. Ez abban is megnyilvánul, hogy nemcsak a magyar férfiak, hanem a nők többsége is úgy gondolja, hogy a gyermeknevelés, gyermekgondozás elsősorban női, anyai feladat. Bár a magyar családtámogatási rendszer évtizedek óta széles körben teszi lehetővé, hogy a születést követő években a férfiak is aktívan vegyék ki a részüket a gyermeknevelésben, a statisztikai adatok azt mutatják, hogy az apák igen kis százaléka él csak ezekkel a lehetőségekkel.
Kutatásunkban éppen azokra az apákra koncentrálunk, akik mégis úgy döntöttek, hogy több-kevesebb időre ők maradnak otthon a gyermekükkel (gyermekeikkel). A velük készített interjúk alapján tárjuk fel az otthonmaradás főbb okait, motivációit, azaz milyen komplex szempontrendszer alapján hozták meg ezt a döntést.
Tanulmányunkban továbbá bemutatjuk a magyar családtámogatási rendszer apákat érintő főbb jellegzetességeit. Választ keresünk arra a kérdésre is, hogy miért nem fedi célcsoportunk pontosan azok körét, akik a családtámogatás valamely elemét igénybe veszik: azaz nem minden otthon maradó apa megy GYES-re/GYED-re, és nem minden GYES-en/GYED-en lévő apa marad ténylegesen otthon gyermekével.

- by Zsofia Drjenovszky and +1
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- Responsible Fatherhood, Fatherhood, Fatherhood, fathering and fathers, Stay at Home Dads

Advocating greater engagement between children’s and carceral geographies, this paper explores the spaces of parenting as they exist within a UK male prison, building upon criminological research on the effects of imprisonment on prisoners’ families and children. Focusing primarily on the visiting room, it extends discussion of the specificities of everyday material spaces and practices of parenting currently under scrutiny within children’s geographies and geographies of parenting, and brings these subdisciplines into dialogue with carceral geography. Concerned specifically with the intimate, embodied and sometimes banal practices of parenting in this constrained and highly surveilled context, it draws attention to previously overlooked spaces and identities of situated fathering.

The concept of 'patriarchal dividend' (Connell, 1995) assumes men's privileged position in the gender order, and implies that men have more agency in their lives than women. However, this article argues that when it comes to contemporary fatherhood, structural influences of employment and culturally dominant normative ideas about gender place fathers at a disadvantage. Using data from a longitudinal qualitative study of first-time fathers in Ireland, the article examines how the new fathers sought to reconcile the tensions between their role as fathers, partners and workers and offers the concept of 'patriarchal deficit' as a lens through which a new understanding of men's positions as fathers can be viewed.

- by Jemimah Bailey
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- Masculinity, Employment, Ireland, Fatherhood, fathering and fathers

Just before Sam died, his son Peter travelled from his home in Hawke’s Bay,
New Zealand, to conduct some preliminary research with his son Oliver who
lives in Leeds, Great Britain. With Peter’s interests in loss, post-traumatic
growth and transpersonal experiences and Oliver’s in theatre making,
performance and pedagogy they begin to discover that they share much
common ground. Shortly after their time together Peter travels to Moscow to
deliver a paper on Hamlet. What follows is a weaving of the thoughts and
recollections of three generations of men touched by loss, trauma and grief.

- by Peter Bray
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- Performing Arts, Bereavement, Intergenerational Relationships, Second World War
- by Tina Miller
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- Gender Studies, Fatherhood, fathering and fathers

The changing structure of the society and the increase in the number of working women has been influential on the relationship between the child and the parent. Today, the woman, who is responsible for the nutrition and care of the child according to the traditional point of view, can perform these duties not on her own but with her husband and the basic needs of the child can be provided by the parents together. Therefore, the role of fatherhood has changed and fathers have become more involved in meeting the basic needs of the child. This study aims to explore how men perceive fatherhood and how mothers perceive their husband's fatherhood. 15 fathers and 15 mothers were included in the study. Mothers and fathers were interviewed to collect the data and the data were examined under the main categories of "Fatherhood self-assessment" and "Fatherhood role perception." The results provide insight into how fathers parenting children between the ages of 3 and 6, how they perceive their fatherhood and how mothers perceive their husband's fatherhood. Furthermore, results were obtained about how parents define fatherhood and which roles they associate fatherhood with. In conclusion it was found that fathers have a traditional perception on fatherhood, and the results were discussed in this context. As it is one of the first studies on fatherhood conducted in the TRNC, this study has importance and similar studies are suggested to carried out.

- by Azize Ummanel and +1
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- Family studies, Fatherhood, fathering and fathers

To better understand quantity and quality of divorced father contact, a weighted county sample of 230 divorced fathers with a child aged 4–11 years was employed to test whether fathers’ antisocial personality (ASP) moderated effects of monthly contact with children in predicting children’s observed noncompliance. Eighteen-month latent growth models obtained significant individual differences in levels of noncompliance
and growth rates. ASP significantly moderated beneficial impact of fathers’ monthly contact. Fathers’ observed parenting practices significantly predicted noncompliance levels but not growth. Parenting did not account for the effect of Contact x ASP, suggesting both environmental and potentially genetic influences on child adjustment. Findings were robust across boys and girls and age levels. Implications for preventive intervention are discussed.

- by Dave DeGarmo
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- Parenting, Fatherhood, fathering and fathers, Coercion, child noncompliance
- by Dr Emma Katz
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- Sociology, Social Work, Social Policy, Feminist Theory
- by Linda Passmark
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- Fatherhood, fathering and fathers
- by Siobhan Mattison and +1
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- Gender Studies, Kinship (Anthropology), Anthropology of Kinship, Matrilineality

This article examines how two African American urban middle school learners and their father engaged in using a “do-it-yourself” (DIY) video to create Christmas ball lights, and the effect it had on their learning. Cultural Historical Activity Theory was used to focus on the ways activity systems played in human interaction. Findings conclude how their learning was based on the roles they played, how agency and apprenticeship were constructed, and how familial experiences were supported by one another. The article concludes with implications for teachers of urban middle school learners that contribute to students’ learning in informal settings.

- by Tisha Lewis Ellison and +1
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- Black Studies Or African American Studies, Literacy, Digital Literacy, Adolescent Literacy

This assessment tool identifies contributing factors to presenting problems, identifies goals in counseling, helps form a therapeutic alliance, and deepens client insight into the story behind current difficulties. Simply completing this... more

- by Daniel M Keeran MSW
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- Business, Management, Marketing, Business Administration
- by Sevil Sümer
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- Fatherhood, fathering and fathers, Work Family Policy

This book, called “The Construction of Masculine Identity in Past and Present: Concepts, Methods, Perspectives”, is the first serious attempt to explore the question of masculinity in Czech historical writing. While women’s history, or gender history from a single-minded women’s perspective, has already become one of Czech research constants, the examination of masculinity and masculine identity still considerably lags behind the research done in other countries in the past thirty years.
Although there is an almost complete absence of primary research in the field at present, several themes presenting some starting thoughts and points of substantial value can be found in the book. The historical themes such as medieval masculinity, military masculinity or the redefinition of masculine and feminine identities in early modern period are accompanied by the sociological and cultural topics including the examination of the role of father in past and present, the reconstruction of gender roles in contemporary literary works and the role of gender in cyberspace.
From the methodological point of view, the majority of texts in the book are based on the theory of “hegemonic masculinity”, formulated by R.W. Connell and others during 1980s. Although often subjected to criticism, this theory proved its value throughout time and is still being widely accepted in the field of gender and masculinity studies, forming a useful theoretical framework and “a useful category of historical analysis” as well.
Several authors in the book acknowledge their affinity to the theory of “hegemonic masculinity”, to the concept of tight connection between masculine construct and social power. Other authors offer detailed case studies exploring the function of the masculine concept in various historical periods. Special attention spanning a number of chapters is given to the often neglected topic of military masculinity. Several chapters on fatherhood examine the underlying concept of patriarchy, while some authors concentrate on the body as a key part in the process of the masculine construction.
All of these texts in general prove that masculinity is, above all, a category that is unstable and malleable, always subject to assault, change, and renegotiation; a process at once of self-assurance, of self-control, and of self-doubt, whose capital purpose is to stay on top of gender hierarchy.

- by Andrea Doucet
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- Fatherhood, fathering and fathers, Stay at Home Dads

La famille monoparentale, du fait de sa fréquence grandissante, constitue un autre type de famille à côté du modèle de la famille nucléaire. Se pose alors la question du bien-être psychologique de l’enfant et de définir les conditions permettant un bon développement de celui-ci en l’absence plus ou moins relative de l’un des parents. En introduisant la question du tiers et de sa construction intrapsychique, nous proposons un moyen de penser ces situations familiales du point de vue du bien-être émotionnel de l’enfant. L’évaluation de la parentalité psychique au moyen du paradigme de la présence/absence d’un espace tiers dans le rapport à l’enfant nous conduit à différencier une monoparentalité psychique d’une biparentalité psychique, elles-mêmes à différencier de la situation sociale (monoparentalité/biparentalité sociales).

- by Raphaële NOËL
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- Fatherhood, fathering and fathers, Single Parenthood

To be published by Routledge as part of the Routledge Contemporary China Series in late 2016.

- by Xuan Li
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- Chinese Studies, Children and Families, Parenting, Child Development

Parental warmth is vital for child adjustment, but the expressive practices of parental warmth as gendered and cultural practices have remained understudied so far. The present study examines the expression of warmth among contemporary Chinese fathers who, based on inferences from traditional Chinese emotion philosophy and Confucian family ethics, have been typically portrayed as strict, stern, and inexpressive disciplinarians of their children. This study aims to understand the expression of paternal warmth in the backdrop of China’s drastically transformed sociocultural landscape. Interview data were collected from fathers, mothers, and children in 133 two-parent families in southeast China (girls 51.9%; Mage 9.54 years, SD 0.77), who were asked individually about how the father in their family demonstrated love and affection, among a variety of fathering behaviors. Thematically coded interview transcripts suggested that today’s Chinese fathers are willing to display parental warmth toward their children, contrary to stereotypes. However, Chinese fathers prefer nonverbal expressions such as by providing instrumental support or showing physical intimacy, whereas verbal displays of love and affection were not preferred. The children noticed and valued their fathers’ coveted expression of love through instrumental support and the use of an authoritative parenting style. These findings shed light on the nuances in fathering behaviors and processes in contemporary Chinese families and call for culturally informed reflection and revision of the conceptualization and measurement of warmth in fathering and parenting scholarship.

- by Xuan Li
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- Gender Studies, Family studies, Parenting, Child Development

This article examines the duties and rights of men as the "siring sex" in the realm of reproduction from a progressive male standpoint. Men as producers and suppliers of sperm are part of the "human reproductive system." Recent studies have produced evidence of male-mediated developmental toxicology and reproductive hazards. Male sexuality as constituted now also has deleterious effects on men's mental and social health. More attention needs to be paid to male reproductive health. Reproductive rights were advocated originally as "women's right to self-determination." Men as the "siring sex" are obliged to recognize and honor women's autonomy. The fact that men contribute sperm to reproduction does not grant them the right to force abortion or delivery. The sexual asymmetry and inequality in reproduction precludes men from sharing equal rights with women in this matter. In order to overcome patriarchy and male domination, and to uphold gender equality and justice, men ought to fulfill their duty to respect women's rights and children's rights in the reproductive realm. To do so, however, men need certain resources and economic, social, and political support systems. This leads the author to propose that the state and society grant men the "rights to fulfill duties" as a new set of social rights, which should include men's (fathers') right to reproductively safe work, health, and environment.

- by Brian Grewe
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- Disability Studies, Critical Disability Studies, Autoethnography, Masculinity

Drawing on Hannah Hamad’s concept of postfeminist fatherhood, this article analyses how the animated films Chicken Little (Disney, 2005) and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Sony, 2009) construct postfeminist fatherhood in opposition to two traditional stereotypes: the emotionally distant authoritarian and the bumbling pal. In contrast to films from the 1980s and 1990s, in which sons struggle to live up to their fathers’ expectations, these films demand a change in paternal attitudes, requiring fathers to adapt to their sons’ needs instead. The article argues that the films offer a didactic message to fathers as well as sons, which suggests that in postfeminist fatherhood older parenting models are no longer viable, and a new culture of fatherhood is needed, which is predicated on the marginalization of mothers.

- by Rajdeep Konar
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- Cultural History, Biography, Fatherhood, fathering and fathers, Rabindranath Tagore

The ideal relationship between the child and other family members has been evolving through time. In modern Japan, child-caring has been associated with motherhood at the same time as mothers were relegated to the domestic space and endorsed the role of full-time housewives (shufu). Men’s role as fathers was that of financial provider and became an absent figure.
The low fertility rate of the late twentieth century has contributed to encourage new perceptions of child-rearing involving both parents. Men’s involvement in child-rearing can be separated into two main trends. On one hand, men increasingly spend time with their children, although they tend to focus on leisure and socialization tasks. On the other hand, since the 1990s a new generation of Ikumen or nurturing fathers who fought gender roles, assumed the everyday tasks of feeding, bathing and nursing children, and ask for parental leave.
In this paper I will point at the new relationship between father and child as defined by the government and represented in the promotion advertisements produced during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The visual and contextual analysis of the most widely spread posters enable to point at the main characteristics of the model of fatherhood offered. What kind of relationship is displayed? Which children in terms of age and gender are represented? How to depict child-rearing in a “manly” manner? The government aims through those posters to redefine child-rearing in terms of gender, although I will show the ambiguity of redefining gender roles while keeping a traditional discourse.

The purpose of the current study was to briefly explore what creates a better adjustment for men’s transition to fatherhood in terms of expectations of the division of tasks, feelings of appreciation, feelings of support, and communication with spouse. The perceptions of marital satisfaction across the transition to fatherhood of 54 Brigham Young University (BYU) students were surveyed using an online questionnaire. Significant differences were found between fathers’ expected division of child care tasks and how tasks were actually divided. Feelings of appreciation were related to fathers’ involvement in childcare tasks. Communication and quality time with spouse were found to be the greatest determinants of marital satisfaction. It is concluded that communication is the greatest predictor of marital satisfaction in first-time fathers.

- by Brandon McDaniel and +2
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- Undergraduate Research, Fatherhood, Fatherhood, fathering and fathers, Marital Satisfaction
- by Normann Witzleb
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- Civil Law, Family Law, Private International Law, Conflicts of Law

Cette thèse porte sur les dynamiques identitaires et plus précisément sur l'appréhension et la présentation de soi en tant qu'individu de genre masculin lorsque celles-ci posent problème au sens schutzéen du terme, au travers de l'étude de la transgression des normes de la division sexuelle du travail opérée par les pères " au foyer ". La thèse s'articule autour de trois chapitres principaux. Le premier (chapitre 4) se centre sur les réactions d'autrui a la paternité au foyer, telles qu'elles sont relatées par les pères interrogés. Le second (chapitre 5) met au jour les stratégies mises en place par les pères au foyer pour gérer le manque de légitimité auquel ils sont confrontés. Le troisième (chapitre 6) propose une analyse phénoménologique de l'appréhension genrée de soi. Au travers de cette thèse, c'est une nouvelle définition de l'identité de genre qui est proposée. / This thesis deals with identity dynamics and, more precisely, with masculine self-presentation and self-definition when these become problematic. This is done through the study of gender norms transgression operated by "at-home" dads. The three main chapters of the thesis are the following. Chapter 4 is focussed on peoples' reactions to at-home fatherhood, based on the accounts of housefathers. Chapter 5 analyses at-home dads' strategies to deal with the lack of legitimacy they are confronted to. Chapter 6 proposes a phenomenological analysis of gendered self-definition. Through this work, the author proposes a new definition of gender identity.

- by Laura Merla
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- Sociology, Gender Studies, Self and Identity, Masculinities

RIASSUNTO: Obiettivo: Il presente lavoro ha l’obiettivo di studiare la qualità delle interazioni genitorebambino
durante l’alimentazione a 24 mesi d’età, prendendo in considerazione la possibile influenza del rischio
psicopatologico genitoriale e del coinvolgimento materno e paterno, valutato in termini di tempo, dedicato
all’accudimento del bambino. Metodo: Ad un campione costituito da N=50 famiglie non referred, è
stata applicata la Scala di Valutazione dell’Interazione Alimentare (SVIA), separatamente per la diade madrebambino
e padre-bambino; inoltre, entrambi i genitori hanno compilato la SCL-90-R e una scheda anamnestica
in cui hanno indicato le ore settimanali di impegno nella cura del figlio. Risultati: I risultati mostrano
che la qualità delle interazioni alimentari madre-bambino differisce da quella padre-bambino. In particolare,
le interazioni madre-bambino evidenziano punteggi significativamente meno disadattivi rispetto alle interazioni
padre-bambino nelle quattro sottoscale della SVIA. Inoltre, sintomi materni di ansia fobica e di ideazione
paranoide predicono un’interazione alimentare non contingente con il figlio, mentre sintomi paterni
di somatizzazione predicono un’interazione caratterizzata da scambi conflittuali. Non sono emerse associazioni
tra il coinvolgimento genitoriale (in termini di tempo dedicato all’accudimento) e la qualità delle interazioni
alimentari con il proprio figlio. Conclusioni: i risultati mostrano che le madri e i padri hanno specifiche
modalità di interazione con i loro figli durante l’alimentazione, che sembrano collegarsi alle caratteristiche
del profilo di rischio psicopatologico individuale di entrambi i genitori.

- by Giulia Ballarotto and +1
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- Feeding, Eating Disorders, Fatherhood, fathering and fathers, Mother and Infant Interaction

The paper demonstrates how, based in the common assumption that fathers are auxiliary to childcare, Latvian fathers have difficulty to have more substantial role in lives of their children after the parents have separated. The paper is based on qualitative interviews and quantitative analysis of court cases. 13% is the amount of time (in hours) court in Latvia on average assign to fathers after divorce. The default situation routinely is that children stay with their mothers. Many fathers experience distress because they are separated from their children as well and there are many social and cultural obstacles that do not allow fathers to have more significant access to their children. Courts in Latvia often rely on the so called 'tender years' doctrine assuming that the best for a child of divorced families is to stay with mothers. The paper also gives policy recommendations among which the most important is to advance the principle of 50:50 as the default division of time between the divorced parents. The paper is available in Latvian and Estonian languages.

- by Klavs Sedlenieks and +1
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- Gender Studies, Baltic Studies, Responsible Fatherhood, Baltic Sea Region Studies
- by Xuan Li
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- Family studies, Children and Families, Parenting, Responsible Fatherhood
- by Andrea Doucet
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- Gender Studies, Parenting, Fatherhood, fathering and fathers

This paper employs interviewing of and participant observation among laid-off and soon to be laid-off industrial workers to explore how conceptions of masculinity, fatherhood, and family are negotiated during the traumatic and transitory period of a plant closing. As economic globalization erodes the industrial base of the Rust Belt, traditional ideas about masculinity, fatherhood and family—including the notion of a sole provider or “breadwinner”—become increasingly impracticable. This study finds that industrial workers adapt to the realities of downward mobility by discarding elements of the “breadwinner ideal”while clinging to others, including beliefs about the American dream and fatherhood.