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Paternal Responsibility and Parenting After Divorce (Paper Presentation) (ppt 93kb)
The focus of this paper is the determination of child custody when parents cannot agree on post-separation parenting arrangements, and negotiation efforts have failed in this regard. The paper will critically examine the viability of a rebuttable legal presumption of shared parenting responsibility, applying a social analytical perspective to the Canadian child custody debate. It will be argued that the responsibilities of social institutions to support parents in the fulfillment of their parenting responsibilities is a largely overlooked issue in the debate; in this regard, the problem of fathers who wish to maintain an active role in the care of their children and are discouraged from doing so as non-residential parents, must be considered. A child-focused framework of child custody determination focused on children’s needs, parental responsibilities in regard to these needs, and social institutional responsibilities to support parents in the fulfillment of their parental responsibilities may offer a fresh approach to the issue, beyond the dominant rights-based child custody discourse. A four pillar framework to child custody determination will be discussed, which incorporates prevention (shared parenting education), treatment (parenting plans, mediation, and intervention in high conflict cases), harm reduction (a rebuttable legal presumption of shared parental responsibility), and enforcement (judicial determination in cases of established abuse).27 father involvement research 2008 conference | -
Who Benefits from a Brief Educational Program for First Time Fathers? (Paper Presentation) (ppt 414kb)
First time fathers experience unique challenges with early parenting. Fathers want to be involved with their infants but there are few educational programs specifically designed to support their early parenting. The purpose of this study was to determine the utility of a parenting education program designed for first-time fathers of infants, and to determine which fathers benefited from the program. A community sample of 81 adult, English-speaking, primarily European-Canadian, first-time fathers of 5-month-old infants participated. When infants were 5 and 6 months old, videotaped self-modeling and positive feedback about father-infant interaction was provided by specially trained home visitors. Father-infant interaction was assessed at baseline (5 months) and outcome (8 months) using the Nursing Child Assessment Teaching Scale protocol. Fathers’ perceptions of the program’s utility were captured in a brief, structured interview at the end of the 8 month visit. Fathers found the program useful and indicated that their needs for educational programs are different from mothers. Fathers had suggestions for other useful supports. A multiple regression, controlling for baseline interactions, indicated that demographic variables did not significantly predict fathers’ outcome interactions. Therefore, the program was useful for fathers with differing education levels, marital status, and prior experiences with children. The program may prove useful in public health settings where implementing programs for fathers of infants is a priority. Future research needs to explore other predictors to identify fathers who will benefit from the program, such as fathers of infants who are born preterm. -
Parental Postnatal License:Permission for New Father Involvement (Paper Presentation) (ppt 1.64Mb)
In Chile, paternity has been challenged by the processes of modernization. Diverse national instances and public policies emphasize the need to facilitate the participation of the father in the socialization and the upbringing of children. The present exploratory study provides the first elements in the construction of a theoretical model on the beliefs of paternity, in parents with newborn children who make use of parental postnatal leave. It is an exploratory study of an analytical- descriptive nature, and uses qualitative methodology based on the Grounded Theory approach. For treating this slightly studied phenomenon in our country, covering paternal subjectivity with a sense of gender equity, for the importance of the repercussions of bonding with the newborn child, and the need to measure paternity, the research topic is relevant. The principal result is paternity as an emergent phenomena in the affective recursive relation with the baby and with the coordinated behaviour of the triad father / mother / son (a), and demands for more presence in taking care in the upbringing as condition of paternity. While changing the equation between reproduction and production for the new fatherhood, reproduction appears as an inclusive category of the father and increases the valuation of fathers’ participation in reproductive process. The father enters the reproductive domain (pregnancy, childbirth and post natal), questions the vision of providing the sole domain from which to exercise fatherhood, and favours bonding with the progeny. -
Explaining Japanese Exceptionalism in Father Involvement (Paper Presentation) (ppt 91kb)
In Japan’s households, most women and nearly half of men now disagree with the traditional division of labour. Practices, too, are changing: even women with small children are increasingly likely to remain in the work force. Social scientists hypothesize that changing gender norms and women’s increased income will lead to a more equal division of family work. But Japanese women still do about 90% of household labor, and, despite a visible increase in fathers’ child-centered activities, Japanese husbands still do far less than men in other societies. How does Japan’s division of family work remain grossly unequal? This paper presents evidence from the lives of a purposive sample of dual-income households with young children. A third of the couples were twin-career: spouses held identical or nearly identical full-time posts. Observations and conversational interviews reveal, in the participants’ own words, how gender power is manifest in spousal social action and negotiations over who-does-what. The lingering influence of customary norms of male domination is related to an under-appreciated dimension of the problem: falling Japanese birthrates have transformed the male demographic so that three-quarters of men between 20 and 49 are first sons, a special position in Japanese family life that symbolizes the continued intergenerational transmission of male primacy. In combination with men’s roles as ideal workers, their position as first sons naturally justifies minimal participation in housework and childrearing. -
Fathering when a Parent Travels for Work (Paper Presentation) (pptx 257kb)
In this paper, we will describe father and child relationships in families with school aged children in which a parent works at a job that requires frequent and extensive travel. In a qualitative analysis of a larger, ongoing research project, we will illustrate the diversity and visibility of fathering in these families, as well as point to the extent to which community ties and pressures bear on the family processes we find. In our project of over 30 families thus far, children aged 8-18 were interviewed qualitatively and completed self-report surveys, as did their parents. In this proposed presentation, we will profile firstly the diversity of family patterns when parents are faced with the same work demand, travel. We will next illustrate how such a work demand puts family processes that are ordinarily taken for granted into the visible sphere of family life. For example, fathers’ connections to their children are highly visible when they ensure communication with their children across miles. Furthermore, when mothers work requires travel, many family members describe fathers delivering children to activities, intentionally scheduling and monitoring these activities. Our data reveal processes of communication, monitoring, and caregiving. For some families, this work is performed by different parents or other adults throughout the work travel cycle, and in such families, it is evident that fathers are highly involved in everyday parenting -
Pathways to Fatherhood in Finland (Paper Presentation) (ppt (unknown))
In this paper, I concentrate on the different pathways to becoming a father for the first time. In other words on explanations of when, why and how Finnish men relay the experiences and emotions of becoming a father. The study material consists of the narratives of 27 men (age 20 to 42 years) with varying life experiences and situations. The data were gathered by interviews. Becoming a father seemed to be a turning point in a man’s life, which led him to think over his life. On the basis of the interviews, I have extracted three main narratives about becoming a father: 1. ‘normative’ 2. ‘desire’ 3. ‘recovery’ Men also included an element of agency either strong or weak in their narratives. By agency here is meant men’s own activity, opportunities and limits on their choices, actions and emotions regarding beginning fatherhood. Normative represents a culturally typical life-course model which all the men in the data recognized, and reflected on their own paths against this model. The ‘recovery’narratives in turn included a tragic event that a man had confronted along the pathway to becoming a father. Most of the men had, however, survived or learned to live with this trauma. The third narrative ‘desire’ were constructed by men who had earlier postponed their fatherhood, but were at the present moment enthusiastic and capable of making his own choices about starting a family -
Responsiveness in the Father Child Relationship (Paper Presentation) (ppt 260kb)
Qualitative interviews with 215 fathers, collected by the Father Involvement Research Alliance, describe the emergent and responsive nature of the father-child relationship and its consequent influence on fathers themselves. Fathers’ responsiveness can best be understood in the context of (a) children’s needs, how they are expressed by children and understood by fathers; and (b) fathers’ values and priorities. Responsiveness to children’s expressed needs requires direct attention and interaction with a child in the moment. One father remarked that it was “amazing what a child under three could teach him about being a father, and that it was his responsibility to pay attention”. Fathers also make unique responses based on the personality and developmental stage of the child, learning over time what each child needs and making adjustments as necessary. These fathers identified the challenge of determining what infants need and their increased competency at puzzle-solving over time. A critical element of responsiveness to children’s expressed needs is that it requires shared time between fathers and their children. Fathers’ values and priorities are enacted in the context of father-child interaction. Attention to children’s needs is augmented by fathers’ decision-making, long-term goals, and the overall context of fathering with intention. This type of responsiveness is frequently described in relation to discipline and learning. Fathers talk about knowing when to draw the line and the value of being able to teach or help their children in specific ways. In interaction with their children, men are learning about and redefining themselves as fathers. -
Supporting Fathers Affected by PPD (Paper Presentation) (ppt 514kb)
presentation objectives: Qualitative results from a multi-site pilot study that assessed fathers’ support needs, resources, barriers to support and preferences for support intervention when their partner was ill with postpartum depression (ppd) will be presented. The pilot research will be supplemented with expert advice from an experienced professional caregiver who works with fathers affected by ppd. Moreover, a father whose partner was affected by ppd, will share his experiences as both a father and a mental health professional. context: ppd is a major health problem for many women, affecting 1 in 7 women, and characterized by the disabling symptoms of dysphoria, emotional lability, insomnia, confusion, significant anxiety, guilt, and suicidal ideation. Only recently have the implications of ppd for fathers come to light. A quarter to a half of depressed mothers’ partners are men who also experience depression, making ppd the most potent predictor of paternal depression. While fathers are regarded as important sources of support for mothers with ppd, research has not been found that explored fathers’ support needs for coping with their partners’ ppd. Pilot study: Individual interviews were conducted with 13 fathers (7 in NB and 6 in AB) whose marital partners suffered from ppd. Findings suggest that fathers are unsure of how to identify ppd, how to support their partners when they are experiencing ppd, and feel excluded from treatment. Implications: Implications of the pilot for support-intervention programs and policy will be discussed by an affected father and an expert clinician from personal and professional perspectives. 30 father involvement research 2008 conference | -
Manufacturing Ghost Fathers (Workshop) (ppt 3.95Mb)
Although there is much talk about the involved father in popular culture, men (including birth/biological fathers, stepfathers and men who provide emotional, financial or social support to children) continue to be curiously absent from child welfare work. In this workshop, we summarize our investigations into child welfare practices, policies and discourse concerning fathers whose children come to the attention of child welfare authorities. We analysed child welfare files, reviewed child welfare and related policies, conducted individual interviews with fathers and focus group interviews with child protection social workers. In common with previous researchers (Featherstone, 2003; Risley-Curtiss & Heffernan, 2003; Scourfield, 2003), we found that child welfare often fails to engage purposefully with men, either as risks or as assets, while continuing to hold mothers responsible for most aspects of family functioning. Our research results demonstrate how existing child welfare policies, education and professional practices contribute to this situation. Specific learning objectives for the workshop include: understanding the gender, class and race biases that underpin father absence and mother blame in child welfare; and exploring strategies (in child welfare practice, policy and education contexts) for engaging more purposefully and constructively with fathers and father-figures. Featherstone, B. (2003) Taking fathers seriously. British Journal of Social Work, 33(2), 239-254. Risley-Curtiss, C. & Heffernan, K. (2003) Gender biases in child welfare. Affilia, 18(4), 395-410. Scourfield, J. (2003) Gender and Child Protection. Palgrave MacMillan, Houndmills, Basingstoke -
The Generative Legacy of Fathering (Paper Presentation) (ppt 55kb)
In this paper, Erikson’s (1950) and McAdams’s (2001) ideas about generativity, defined as care and concern for the next generation as a legacy of the self, are used to consider themes of fathering goals and purpose in a sample of Indigenous and other fathers. The idea of legacy here draws together a sense of passing on the heritage of the past and of making progress toward a better future for the child. Based on an open-coding approach, we use fira thematic interview data, including nearly 200 cases (30 from Indigenous fathers), to examine themes of: concern for the child’s long-term future, cultural legacy and personal and generational progress, and audience validation for the effectiveness of the father’s parenting. Indigenous fathers articulated clear long-term concerns for the child’s future. Progress encompassed subthemes of hopes for the child’s future relative to the father’s current situation, comparisons of the father’s own parenting and that which he experienced growing up, and a sense of generational change in community strength. Audiences that supported the father’s sense of efficacy in childrearing included the self, child, family, and community. We show how themes of future concern, progress and regard in interviews with Indigenous fathers are parallel as well as somewhat distinctive from those with fathers of other fira clusters. Ultimately, we highlight the clarity of these feelings of care for the future of the child in Indigenous fathers, and what that says about generativity and the meaning of legacy within the context of Indigenous fathering. -
Similarity of Parent’s Beliefs and Later Father Involvement (Paper Presentation) (ppt 294kb)
Research suggests that the birth of a child represents a “magic moment” for fathers, when fathers are present and report a strong desire to be involved in future childrearing. However, research also demonstrates that fathers vary dramatically in their levels of involvement following their child’s birth. One explanation is that when mothers encourage fathers involvement, fathers tend to be more involved. Identity theory suggests that encouragement/discouragement could stem from the degree of similarity/dissimilarity between mothers and fathers fathering expectations. This paper hypothesizes that when parents hold similar beliefs regarding the importance of various fathering roles when their child is born, fathers will tend to be more involved 1 and 3 years later. I further test whether this association holds for diverse groups of fathers by testing for moderating influences of race, relationship status, and first-time parenting status. Results indicate that greater overall congruence between parents’ initial beliefs positively predicts fathers reports of involvement at both years, and such congruence is particularly important for non-first-time parents. For mothers’ reports, only agreement on which roles are most/least important predicted involvement, and only at Year 1. Further, initial incongruence in beliefs also predicted differences between mothers’ and fathers’ reports of father involvement at Year 3, but not Year 1, and particularly for married parents. Implications are discussed in terms of the importance of relationship education programs specifically for parents-to-be that emphasize the importance of communication between prospective coparents. -
Vunerability Versus Social Integration (Paper Presentation) (ppt 2.34Mb)
Young men who become fathers seem to live a certain paradox. On one hand, becoming a parent gives them a new social role that can help them feel more integrated into the society. But on the other hand, their new parenting role puts them in face of some of their own limitations in terms of having what it takes to get integrated, that is work, money and education. This presentation will convey the participant to a reflection on young men who become fathers between 15 and 25 years old. It will be based on analysis of interviews and focus groups conducted with young fathers (n=43). When we met with fathers for this research, we discussed with them what fatherhood changed in their lives, their relationships with the mother of the child, the obstacles they face in assuming their father role and the support they receive. Qualitative analysis of the results show that most young men want to get involved with their child and they are willing to make important changes in their lives (i.e., be more responsible, reduce substance abuse, get a job) in order to achieve this result. The arrival of the child gives them a great hope to get out of a certain marginalization but at the same time it puts a lot of pressure on them to respond to the needs of their new family. This presentation will focus on what helps young fathers play their role as much as they want. -
Paternal Involvement With Special Needs Children (Paper Presentation) (ppt 108kb)
The involvement of fathers with their special needs children is the focus of this project. Father role salience and role satisfaction are hypothesized to mediate the relationship between family socioeconomic status and father involvement. This process is investigated among 144 fathers of special needs children who participated in an evaluation of Tennessee’s Early Intervention System (TEIS). TEIS provides services to families with special needs children under the age of three. The children in the sample were diagnosed with cerebral palsy, autism, spina bifida, Down syndrome, developmental delays, and speech and/or hearing delays. Because of the source of the data, the researchers were able to obtain fathers’ sense of empowerment as a result of their participation in the project. Therefore this project presents the opportunity to examine how empowerment may uniquely affect the processes of father involvement. Specifically, we will investigate whether empowerment has an additive or interactive effect along with socioeconomic status on men’s involvement with their children. The researchers hypothesized that families with higher socioeconomic status would report a greater sense of empowerment in knowing how to help their children and advocate for their needs. The researchers also hypothesized that the greater sense of empowerment fathers report, the more satisfied men will be with their role as a father and the more involved fathers will be with their special needs children in a variety of tasks. This project is in the early stages of data analysis, but will be completed by September of 2008. -
Reform Resource Centre for Men (Norway) (Norwegian NGO devoted to Men’s Issues) (external website)
Reform Resource Centre for Men is a non-profit foundation funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Children and Equality which serves as a national knowledge centre on men. Reform promotes male perspectives in the media and the general public, initiates and participates in projects focussed on men, helps men at the local level and also participates in international projects. Reform also has an interest in fatherhood issues. -
Native American Fatherhood and Families Association (external website)
The Native American Fatherhood & Families Association (NAFFA) is a Native non-profit organization, with headquarters in Mesa, Arizona, which to strengthen families by responsibly involving fathers in the lives of their children, families and communities and partnering with mothers to provide happy and safe families. The NAFFA provides leadership through training, information, technical assistance, and support to Native American tribal and non-tribal agencies, and urban organizations. NAFFA assists with planning, development, implementation, evaluation, and policies to ensure successful and effective Fatherhood programs, and also trains program personnel to implement and teach an effective Fatherhood program. effective fatherhood program.
