Fathers investing in fatherhood: A qualitative examination of contemporary fathering in fatherhood groups in Canada

The existing literature and research on fathers in movements demonstrate differing approaches to understanding fatherhood, men’s engagement in the family pre/post separation, family law, and fatherhood/fathers’ rights activism. However, these approaches often fail to address the experiences of fathers, as well as fatherhood activists and movements, that exist outside the narrative created by the fathers’ rights-based approaches and pro-feminist responses that currently dominate the dialogue surrounding the issues of fatherhood movements/groups and the rights of fathers. Based on this problematization of the existing frameworks for and examinations of fatherhood movements, this two-part study examined the social engagement and experiences of fathers who belong to fatherhood groups across Canada, with a strong focus on British Columbia (BC). Phase one was an investigation of the parallel fathers’ rights movement (FRM) and involved fatherhood movement (IFM) Canada-wide. I conducted a qualitative content analysis of these two discourses through their online presence and activism, such as blogs, websites, and online resources. Phase two dovetailed off this analysis through in-depth interviews with fathers engaged in the FRM and IFM in BC, including a few fathers who reside outside of BC but were active in national groups engaged in this province. Together, the two phases provide an examination of fatherhood and fatherhood movements within a critical masculinities framework. This analysis highlights the privilege inherent within fatherhood groups and the exclusionary politics within these movements that resulted in the absence of the voices of Black, Indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC) and marginalized fathers (e.g., fathers of low-socioeconomic status). Further, this research reflects on these fathers’ beliefs that they face disadvantage in family law proceedings, and problematizes and challenges their claims of bias, discrimination, and oppression. The concluding analysis also demonstrates the privilege, power, oppression, and inclusion/exclusion within fatherhood groups, movements, and discourses overall. Ultimately, this study captured men’s nuanced experiences with fatherhood and parenting pre/post separation, within the current socio-legal and familial contexts

Silently panicking:a thematic analysis of a UK-based online peer support forum for fathers of pre-school children

In the United Kingdom, professional-led parenting support is largely aimed at mothers (Donetto et al., 2013). Gender expectations on men may result in barriers to fathers seeking advice or support about parenting. Increasingly, people are turning to the internet for advice and information, and also to share their experiences (Ziebland & Wyke, 2012). The purpose of this thesis was to investigate how fathers of pre-school children sought help by using a UK-based online discussion forum, and what the messages indicated about how they negotiated the competing demands and expectations on them. Taking a constructionist perspective, a thematic analysis of 835 posts explored themes of fatherhood, masculinity and online peer support. The findings demonstrated that fathers experienced challenges during the transition to fatherhood, and in the early years of parenting. Within the discussion boards, they sought and received information and social support, and both self-disclosure and self-help mechanisms were evident. The fatherhood roles that the men practiced were nuanced and fluid, and the fathers drew upon a range of strategies to mitigate their help seeking and thereby maintain their masculine status. The online nature of the communication also removed some of the constraints of expected masculine behaviour. However, as engagement with the discussion board developed, reciprocity and universality became stronger characteristics of the communication. The interplay between configurations of gendered practice was articulated. The thesis concluded that online peer support is an acceptable and appropriate form of support for fathers. Recommendations for health professionals were made, and a model of the fathers’ engagement with the discussion forum was developed

‘A Different Ball Game’: Engaging Men from Rural and Lower Socioeconomic Areas in Behavioural Weight Management Interventions

Men in lower socioeconomic rural areas are at higher risk of ill-health but less likely to participate in preventative health interventions than rural women. This thesis highlights that a greater consideration of socioeconomic factors in weight management interventions for men is required. Then, provides a case example for how a metropolitan program can be adapted with rural stakeholders, and offers insights into how popular local sports can help engage rural men in health interventions

Fathering in the city : diverse masculinities and care giving practices in New York City

This thesis is about primary caregiving fathers in New York City. It aims to explore the changing nature of masculinities in relation to fatherhood. Starting with the premise that not all masculinities are equal, it asks whether, and if yes, how, differential access to resources and choices and discourses as men is reproduced in the realm of parenting, shaping their lives and experiences as fathers.The literature on primary caregiving fathers is emerging, where sociological studies have focused on white, heterosexual, middle-class, married, stay-at-home fathers. Moreover, analyses often privilege one axis of differentiation –gender–, when other identity positions are often relegated to second position, thus obscuring the nuances and complexity of the men’s experiences. Using an ethnographic approach, I spent 11 months in 2016 following 15 fathers from different backgrounds, meeting with them and interviewing them, meeting their families and friends, meeting other fathers along the way, as well as interviewing 5 professionals working with fathers. This thesis combines men and masculinities and intersectionality theories to draw attention to the social inequalities that exist between men.My research findings show that masculinities inform the kinds of father the men are. Masculinities are relational, they are performances undertaken in particular contexts, and intersect with other social categories, such as class, race, sexuality and faith, shaping their fathering experiences, the meanings assigned to fatherhood, and their experiences as men. I argue that race, as an organizing system of difference, is the most important axis of differentiation in parenting for these men. It has profound implications on the men’s lived experiences and on the ways in which they are fathers to their children

Increasing father involvement in the care of their infant using text messages: The DadRocks study

Studies have shown that interventions aimed at the transition to fatherhood can have benefits to fathers. Yet there are few studies specifically designed for fathers at their transition to parenthood, despite fathers having asked for resources specifically tailored for them. DadRocks is a minimalist (i.e., low-cost) intervention that uses text messages to address fathers as they transition to fatherhood. DadRocks has been successfully piloted with Vietnamese fathers, but not in a Western sample of fathers. In our pilot of DadRocks with Canadian fathers, SMS messages were sent to seventeen fathers 3-5 times a week. Messages provided developmentally appropriate information such as games to play with their infants, milestones to observe and links to credible websites for information. Fathers who had more positive attitudes towards father-infant relationship reported significantly more father-infant interaction. Father-infant interaction, especially play, increased between baseline, three months and six months. Fathers who reported more engagement with the messages had significantly more positive attitude and more affectionate behavior. First-time fathers felt most supported by the texts. Fathers with greater anxiety also reported using more recommended resources. Fathers generally liked the intervention, and provided suggestions for future messages. Our pilot data support the development of a more comprehensive experimental study of DadRocks. with a large community sample that could help determine the extent to which this low-cost intervention can improve father-infant relationships. Overall, our data suggest that text messages may be a lost-cost way to communicate with fathers in ways that promote and support positive paternal care

Stay-at-home Father Families: Family Functioning and Experiences of Non-traditional Gender Roles

Social change over the last few decades has resulted in a dramatic increase in mothers in the paid workforce and increased paternal involvement in caregiving. This has led to a rise in families with male primary caregivers, including stay-at-home father families. Yet very little is known about the functioning of stay-at-home father families in comparison to other family forms. The aim of this thesis was, firstly, to examine parent wellbeing and family functioning in these families and, secondly, to explore the fathers’ motivations and experiences of their non-traditional gender role. Data were obtained from a sample of 127 families in the UK; 41 stay-at-home father families, 45 stay-at-home mother families, and 41 dual-earner families. All families were two-parent heterosexual families who were either married or cohabiting. Sixty percent of the children were female and the average age of the children at interview was four-years, eight-months. Standardised semi-structured interviews were conducted with fathers and mothers, and questionnaire measures completed. Observational assessments were conducted with father-child and mother-child dyads. Data were also obtained from the children on their perspectives of their family life. In addition, teachers completed a standardised measure of child adjustment. The fathers’ experiences of their role were examined in depth by interview. Few differences were found with regards to parent psychological adjustment and couple functioning and parents across the three family types generally reported a high level of wellbeing, although a third of primary caregiver parents scored above the clinical cut-off for anxiety. With regard to quality of parenting and parent-child relationship, no differences were found between primary caregiving fathers and mothers, and the few differences found between fathers favoured stay-at-home fathers. Stay-at-home fathers did not differ in terms of conforming to masculine norms in comparison to the other fathers in the sample, and the children too showed comparable gendered play behaviours across all family types. Child adjustment did not differ between family types; instead, family processes were more influential. In particular, parenting stress was associated with significantly higher levels of child difficulties. Children rated their primary caregiver mothers as higher on emotional security than stay-at-home fathers. Qualitative analyses illustrated that stay-at-home fathers and mothers adopted their roles in their family for a variety of reasons, including financial considerations and a desire to be the primary caregiver. A thematic analysis indicated that stay-at-home fathers engaged in meaning-making strategies to make sense of their non-traditional parenting role that simultaneously rejected and reinforced masculine ideals. Facing prejudice was common throughout the fathers’ narratives, although they also showed resilience to stigmatisation, reflecting the overall high level of wellbeing reported by the fathers. The implications for parents, policy and research are discussed

Parenting and digital media: from the early days of the web to contemporary digital society.

Parents have accessed websites, online discussion forums and blogs for advice, information and support since the early days of the World Wide Web. In this article, we review the literature in sociology and related social research addressing the ways in which digital media have been used for parenting-related purposes. We begin with the longer-established media of parenting websites, online discussion forums, blogs, email, mobile phones and message and video services and then move on to the newer technologies of social media and apps. This is followed by a section on data privacy and security issues. The concluding section summarises some major issues arising from the review and points to directions for further research

Supporting the Complex Social Lives of New Parents

One of the many challenges of becoming a parent is the shift in one’s social life. As HCI researchers have begun to investigate the intersection of sociotechnical system design and parenthood, they have also sought to understand how parents’ social lives can be best supported. We build on these strands of research through a qualitative study with new parents regarding the role of digital technologies in their social lives as they transition to parenthood. We demonstrate how sociotechnical systems are entangled in the ways new parents manage their relationships, build (or resist building) new friendships and ad hoc support systems, and navigate the vulnerabilities of parenthood. We discuss how systems designed for new parents can better support the vulnerabilities they internalize, the diverse friendships they desire, and the logistical challenges they experience. We conclude with recommendations for future design and research in this area