Not being a father: deconstructing dad

Hadley, Robin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4254-7648 (2019) Not being a father: deconstructing dad. Psychreg.

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Abstract

In most societies, biological parenthood is one of the most highly valued social statuses. Although parenthood and childlessness are mostly associated with women, recently there has been a substantial increase in interest in the role of father’s in parenting. Typically, this links an ideal of ‘involved’ fatherhood where men are encouraged and expected to be involved in parenting. Significantly, active engagement in childcare and home life has been found to be important to fathers’ sense of identity. For example, sharing their experience of fathering with colleagues improved place work relationships. However, many contemporary fathers in the UK struggle to combine childcare and breadwinning – not least because of poor paternity rights. Similarly, many fathers feel excluded from health and care services during and after their partners’ pregnancy. Moreover, ‘stay-at-home-dads’ and ‘house-husbands’ report being stigmatised and pressured to conform to traditional provider roles. Likewise, other men who challenge traditional stereotypes such as gay men, male nurses and primary school teachers, are often subject to exclusion, isolation, mistrust, and stigmatisation by both men and women. However, research has highlighted how fathers reported greater happiness, subjective well-being, psychological need satisfaction, and daily uplifts than did men without children.