Much recent literature on fathers conveys the optimistic message that men are becoming increasingly involved in family life and that such participation is necessarily beneficial. This book contends that evidence for the new father' is, in reality, hard to find and that the paternal role persists in being limited by social, institutional and personal forces. The book's contributors, psychologists and sociologists from Britain, Australia, Scandanavia and North America, examine the problematic nature of fatherhood from three different perspectives. Part One examines research evidence from studies of fathers in typical' families. Chapters look at the history of paternal roles, the employment of both fathers and mothers and men's involvement with other members of the family; all share the thesis that, given contemporary ideologies, fathering is necessarily limited. Part Two critically reviews research on men who -- encouraged by enlightened' social policy makers -- have attempted to become more involved in child care and domestic responsibilities. The contributors point out the contradictions between the expectations of the policy makers and the realities of family life: greater involvement in the home by men usually causes stress and difficulties for other members, particularly mothers. Part Three considers the position of men in therapeutic settings, where the father is often seen as a passive, opaque figure with whom it is difficult to work, and offers sound advice on how family workers can incorporate men into counselling, social work and therapy. Two chapters also investigate the role that custody arrangements play in the divorced father's life. ReassessingFatherhood provides a fresh -- and often provocative -- view of the modern father that will change the complacent and euphoric vision of the new family'.

Much recent literature on fathers conveys the optimistic message that men are becoming increasingly involved in family life and that such participation is necessarily beneficial. This book contends that evidence for the new father' is, in reality, hard to find and that the paternal role persists in being limited by social, institutional and personal forces. The book's contributors, psychologists and sociologists from Britain, Australia, Scandanavia and North America, examine the problematic nature of fatherhood from three different perspectives. Part One examines research evidence from studies of fathers in typical' families. Chapters look at the history of paternal roles, the employment of both fathers and mothers and men's involvement with other members of the family; all share the thesis that, given contemporary ideologies, fathering is necessarily limited. Part Two critically reviews research on men who -- encouraged by enlightened' social policy makers -- have attempted to become more involved in child care and domestic responsibilities. The contributors point out the contradictions between the expectations of the policy makers and the realities of family life: greater involvement in the home by men usually causes stress and difficulties for other members, particularly mothers. Part Three considers the position of men in therapeutic settings, where the father is often seen as a passive, opaque figure with whom it is difficult to work, and offers sound advice on how family workers can incorporate men into counselling, social work and therapy. Two chapters also investigate the role that custody arrangements play in the divorced father's life. ReassessingFatherhood provides a fresh -- and often provocative -- view of the modern father that will change the complacent and euphoric vision of the new family'.

Current research on fatherhood often focuses on minimal changes men have made in their participation in family life. Anna Dienhart argues that men have indeed made significant changes to their family roles, but those changes are often masked in existing discourses on fatherhood. In Reshaping Fatherhood, Dienhart′s qualitative study of 18 shared parenting couples explores both men′s and women′s resourcefulness and shows how these couples have deliberately co-created alternatives to traditional parenting roles. Using these narrative accounts, Dienhart offers several options for creating a family structure that allows both mothers and fathers to participate actively in parenting. Dienhart emphasizes that "tag-team parenting," a common technique that couples use to juggle the responsibilities of a hectic family life, relies on both the interchangeability of parental tasks as well as the specialization by preference. Dienhart compares shared parenting to a dance that demands continuous revision of the perceptions and activities of fatherhood and motherhood. She challenges family researchers to move beyond deficit and comparative model perspectives about the complexities of gendered family life as she offers alternative ideas about division-of-labor patterns, men′s relational capabilities in child care, the preeminence of men′s provider role, and traditional notions about gender and politics in families. This timely book is ideal for professionals and students in family studies, sociology of the family, family psychology, and gender studies.

As family and work demands become more complex, who is left holding the baby? Tina Miller explores men's experiences of fatherhood and provides unique insights into paternal caring, changing masculinities and men's relations to paid work. She focuses on the narratives of a group of men as they first anticipate and then experience fatherhood for the first time. Her original, longitudinal research contributes to contemporary theories of gender against a backdrop of societal and policy change. The men's journeys into fatherhood are both similar and varied, and they illuminate just how deeply gender permeates individual lives, everyday practices and societal assumptions around caring for young children. This book acts as a companion to Making Sense of Motherhood (Cambridge University Press, 2005) and, together, these innovative studies reveal how gendered practices around caring become enacted.

First Published in 2013. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Virtually all literature about birth parents of adopted children has focused on mothers. In this pioneering study, Gary Clapton gives us a fresh perspective: he recounts the experiences of thirty birth fathers separated from their children at birth. Discussing different notions of fatherhood, such as biological paternity, social fatherhood, sperm donorship and the `father figure', this informative book - the first on birth fathers in adoption - brings new light to issues such as the decision to give up a child for adoption, the child's desire to find his or her birth parents, and the facilitation of contact in later life. Written in an accessible style with insights into adoption and social work practice past and present, Birth Fathers and their Adoption Experiences offers a vital new perspective on understanding the causes and consequences of adoption, and makes positive suggestions for working with those whom it affects.