Resources
All Resources
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Engaging Boys and Men to Achieve Gender Equality (How can we build on what we have learned?) (pdf 2.60Mb)
This report, from the International Centre on Research on Women and Institute Promundo, presents information and recommendations on the most effective ways to work with men and boys to promote gender equality, reduce gender-based violence and promote sexual and reproductive health. The ideas in this report were gathered at a one-day interational meeting which took place in Washington. D.C. on May, 29, 2007. -
Father’s Experience Fathering Middle School Aged Children (Paper Presentation) (ppt 230kb)
Literature on fathering has generally approached the topic by describing the effects of father’s presence, or lack thereof, in the lives of the children. These studies are typically conducted using a quantitative lens, which may reduce the individuality and richness of our understanding of reasons behind fathers’ articipation in caring for their children. Although research shows that the period of time for children transitioning from elementary to high school can be a challenging time in the child’s life, research also shows that this is the period of time where there is the least amount of father participation to support the children. The research project presented here employs a qualitative focus group strategy for exploring the lives of eleven fathers who have children between the ages of ten to fifteen years old. In the discussion, the participants were asked about their lived experience of fathering children in this stage of life. As anticipated by the Generative Fathering model, the results suggest that fathers do have the skills and abilities required to parent effectively. These results also imply that distancing occurs between father and child during this time because of the uncomfortable and often negative and contemptuous reactions that fathers have to the emotional instability of their children at this age. This research focused in part on the sub-population of fathers who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a community that places high value on the relationships within the family. -
Fatherhood as Life Transformation (Paper Presentation) (ppt 97kb)
In this paper, we use a life story framework to consider the experience of fathering within the life course. We first summarize the literature on generativity as a midlife phenomenon from Erikson and others, and consider what aspects of early generativity may be represented among very young fathers, despite stereotypes of their undeservingness. We use the FIRA thematic interview data, including nearly 200 cases (with 25 or so from young fathers), to examine themes of life and identity change, based on an open coding approach. We use this qualitative empirical evidence to show how young fathers can express a sense of generativity or care for their child, in contrast to models of generativity as present only in midlife. We discuss four sub-themes of personal transformation around the past problems or issues recounted by young dads and the way these life positions were transformed or redeemed by fatherhood: finding a purpose, settling down, overcoming past hurt, and growing up. We also identify these themes in interviews from other FIRA clusters and show how they are similar, but often less dramatic, in more mature fathers in this same sample. We also examine some boundary cases of men who report more minimal change from the experience of fatherhood. Ultimately, we highlight the clarity of these generative feelings of transformation among young dads, how they are similar to other fathers, and what that says about early generativity and the capacity for and potential meaning of early fatherhood. -
Fathering Experiences of Immigrant/Refugee Ethiopian Men (Paper Presentation) (ppt 294kb)
Immigrant fathers have left familiar and cultural settings of their own and pass through a long process of adapting to a new context that requires reorganizing their lives in the new environment. The adaptation process may demand these fathers to make adjustments to their perceived role of a father. These fathers may be ill equipped and appear to be struggling to discharge their roles within the resettlement environment. Despite the increasing number of newcomers from diverse backgrounds to Canada in recent years, there is a limited research-based information and guiding professional literature that explores how immigrant and refugee men practice fatherhood. This appears to have created a knowledge gap as to what the support needs of these fathers are and as to what modalities of intervention could best fit to their needs. In the absence of this, profes¬sionals are left to rely on their own experiences, biases and concerns as to how to deal with these fathers. Based on in-depth interviews with 10 Ethiopian immigrant/refugee men recruited through a criterion sampling process based primarily on length of residency in Canada and age of children, this paper examines their perceptions and experiences of fatherhood in Canadian society. Insights on the parenting styles and obstacles facing these immigrant fathers as well as on the opportunities and the aspirations they have for their children in Canada will be discussed. -
Effects of Culture and Ethnicity on Father Involvement (Paper Presentation) (ppt 794kb)
The primary objective of this research was to examine how cultural, economic, and attitudinal barriers may impact fathers’ ability to engage in their children’s lives and how to improve measurement tools for studying fathering and related issues in ethnocultural communities. Four major findings emerged from this study. First, newcomer fathers were disproportionately under-employed. This was associated with being less supportive of their children than employed fathers. Second, fathers were less likely to be aware of their children’s emotional and social life inside and outside of the home than were their wives. Third, mothers were not aware of the life and work hardships and emotional distress their husbands reported. Finally, the Canadian version of the Achenbach Scales may not be entirely suitable to assess children’s health and well-being status in ethnocultural communities. Findings from this study support the need for developing programs and services to help support newcomer fathers in their parenting role without compromising their traditional family roles within their culture. Particularly, interventions must begin to address issues around employment equity and male-oriented support mechanisms to ease the acculturation process for newcomer fathers. Furthermore, a need exists to develop culturally appropriate scales to assess health and development (in particular emotional and mental development) of newcomer children in Canada. We suggest modifying the Achenbach scales by adding culturally-sensitive items -
Anticipating Fatherhood (Paper Presentation) (ppt 526kb)
The transition to parenthood challenges new parents’ ability to manage family and paid work demands in ways that enhance family well-being. Most research has overlooked men’s experiences as fathers, implicitly reinforcing a “parenting as women’s work” ideal. There is limited understanding of the intersection of gender ideals about family roles and culture for fathers. This critical ethnographic study examined the meanings and context of fatherhood as men prepared to become fathers for the first time. Canadian and immigrant Chinese expectant fathers perspectives were compared. Questions addressed were: a) What does becoming a father mean? and b) How do men’s views of fathering relate to social ideals of fatherhood? Eighteen men (12 Canadian and 6 Chinese immigrant) living in Western Canada, reflecting diverse socio-demographic circumstances, were interviewed during their partner’s last pregnancy trimester. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic content analysis identified emerging patterns in men’s experiences. Common to both groups, men’s meanings of fathering focused on roles (e.g., teacher, provider); personal characteristics (e.g., being responsible, “hands-on”; feelings (e.g., excitement, uncertainty); and actions and outcomes (e.g., preparing child for the world). For immigrant Chinese men, fatherhood also meant becoming a man and their continuity in the cycle of life”. Men anticipated tensions in resolving personal idea(l)s of themselves as fathers, social and cultural ideals of fatherhood, and workplace ideals and conditions related to managing paid and family work. Research findings highlight men’s experiences and challenges related to dominant assumptions about men’s family roles and responsibilities -
Invisibility of Fathers in Family Friendly Work Environments (Paper Presentation)
This study attempts to explore direct and indirect influence of family-friendly work environment (number of family-friendly policies in the company, weekly working hours) and fathers’ emotional status (work-family conflict, self confidence in fathering) on paternal involvement. The sample for this study consists of 237 young Korean fathers. Mplus5.0 was employed for testing the hypothesized structural model. The findings suggest that number of family-friendly policies has direct influence on paternal involvement. However, number of family-friendly policies shows a negative relationship with paternal involvement. In other words, the more family-friendly policies fathers reported, the less involved they were with children. This might be due to fathers’ invisibility in family-friendly policies. Most family-friendly policies target mothers and those policies might give fathers a message to concentrate more on their work. Relationship between working hours and paternal involvement was mediated by work-family conflict. That is, working hours influence paternal involvement by increasing work-family conflict. Self-confidence in fathering has direct impact on paternal involvement. However, relationship between those two variables was also negative. This could be due to fathers’ awareness of their involvement. If fathers are unaware of their level of involvement, they could feel confident about their fathering and consider their fathering as “good enough”. -
Long-term Implications of Father’s Parental Leave (Paper Presentation) (ppt 244kb)
The Nordic welfare state family policies stress on shared parenthood and involved fathering. In Finland, fathers received their paternity leave right in 1978 and since 1987 fathers have had the possibility to share the six months parental leave with mother. However, only 5 - 10% of fathers use their option of parental leave, and moreover, eventual outcomes of fathers’ parental leave are very poorly documented. The aim of the study was to explore the current family life circumstances and father-child relationship of such Finnish fathers who had previously utilized their statutory right for parental leave. This survey focused on men who had been at least four months as stay-at-home fathers 12 years ago when their child was 6 - 30 months old. These men belonged to the very small group of fathers in Finland who had taken not only the normal” 1 - 3 weeks paternity leave but also shared parental leave with the mother of their child. The study material consists of data from two questionnaires: the first comprised of stay-at-home fathers (n = 364) who were spending their parental leave in 1993, and the second is follow-up data gathered in 2005 (n = 121). Consequently, 33% of the fathers answered to the follow-up questionnaire. In my paper I introduce the main results of the study, and furthermore, I try to discuss some conclusions concerning the potential affiliations of father’s use of parental leave and later father-child relationships. -
Between Political Correctness and Actions (Paper Presentation) (pdf 546kb)
This study focuses on the perceptions of practitioners working with vulnerable fathers. The research was conducted with 60 practitioners (having a minimum of 3 years experience) coming from 3 types of institutions: Youth Center (N = 11), CLSC (N = 29) and Community agency (N = 20). The results of quantitative and qualitative analyses suggest the coexistence of diversified perspectives on vulnerable fathers: identification of unfavourable biases towards the fathers, recognition of the importance of those for the well-being of the child, critiques of the cultural and social models for fathers, and critique of the approach of services that traditionally center on the mothers. Consequently, a vast majority of the practitioners have developed strategies for supporting the inclusion of fathers in their interventions. -
The Relative Visibility and Invisibility of Fathering (Paper Presentation) (ppt 100kb)
This paper looks into men’s experience of being “seen” and valued as fathers across multiple contexts of the family, couple relationships, community and society. Analyzing qualitative data from the FIRA-CURA project, with nearly 200 cases, a social constructionist interpretative lens highlights men’s experiences of a variety of audiences for their fathering activities and fathering identity. The analysis moves beyond binary possibilities of visibility or invisibility to reveal a continuum of experiences of fathering and fatherhood, from relatively invisible, to visible, to highly visible, to too visible and perhaps subject to extra scrutiny. Across all 7 clusters of FIRA-CURA data, men described experiences of being seen or not seen, being valued and not valued as fathers. The experience of being seen, or the visibility of fathering, was complex and varied across several contextual factors. The theme of relative “invisibility” was particularly salient for men who experienced some disruption in the culturally dominant views/structures of family-life. This included separated/divorced fathers, young fathers, indigenous fathers, gay fathers, and fathers with special needs children. When fathers encountered being devalued and/or marginalized in their role as fathers, they developed strategies to enhance their connection to their children and increase their visibility as important figures in their child’s life. Strategies of “intensifying” their visibility include: challenging gender myths, taking personal risks and responsibility, challenging institutional practices, and breaking the silence by going public. -
Conference Program, English (pdf 1.13Mb)
This is the final version of the conference program, English. -
Conference Program, French (pdf 812kb)
This is the final version of the conference program, French. -
Father Involvement Research 2008 Presentation Abstracts (pdf 369kb)
This document contains the complete abstract of every conference presentation as of October 22, 2008. -
Ten Promising Practices for Fatherhood Programs (U.S. National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse) (external website)
“What Works”in Fatherhood Programs? Ten Lessons from Evidence-based Practice (10 pages), identifies ten promising practices in fatherhood programs, derived from evaluations of fatherhood programs. Elements of Promising Practice for Fatherhood Programs: Evidence-Based Research Findings on Programs for Fathers (183 pages) discusses the ten promising practices in greater depth and provides information on over thirty fatherhood programs which have been subject to evaluation. -
Enacting Research Ethics In Partnerships With Indigenous Communities in Canada (“Do It In A Good Way”) (pdf 260kb)
This article, published in the the June 2008 issue of the Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, describes aspects of the ethical approach used in the Indigenous Fathers component of FIRA’s CURA project and the Indigenous Child Project, an initiative carried out under the auspices of the Consortium for Intervention, Health, Learning and Development.
