Father Involvement and Gender Equality in the United States: Contemporary Norms and Barriers
Father Involvement and Gender Equality in the United States: Contemporary Norms and Barriers (Routledge) provides an overview of fatherhood in the United States today to explore why fathers continue to be less involved in childcare than mothers and to strategize about how we can work toward encouraging and promoting greater father involvement. In doing so, this book examines fundamental issues that are vital in working toward greater gender equality. Specifically, this book focuses on three key questions: (1) How is fatherhood viewed today? (2) Why aren’t fathers more involved at home? (3) How do we get fathers more involved at home?
Women are disadvantaged in both paid and domestic work, due in large part to being primarily responsible for parenting duties. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these inequalities, making the issue of reducing gender inequality even more pressing. Fathers play an important role in contributing to, and perhaps reducing, gender inequality, but barriers to their involvement in family life have received less attention than detailing challenges that mothers face. If men were equally involved in parenting and were truly fully engaged dads, women's burdens would be reduced and perceptions of who is responsible for parenting may change, resulting in greater gender equality. Father Involvement and Gender Equality in the United States focuses on the key issue of father involvement, seeking to understand why fathers are less involved parents than mothers despite an increased desire among both fathers and mothers for fathers to be more engaged parents. Specifically, I use recent national survey data from the United States to provide an overview of contemporary fatherhood in the U.S., including identifying current norms of fatherhood, barriers to father involvement, and strategies to overcome these barriers. In doing so, this book provides a unique and important contribution to our understanding of the culture of fatherhood in the U.S., and the implications of father involvement for gender equality, through the use of quantitative survey data. I also utilize interviews with fathers to compliment this national overview and illustrate how these key themes play out in fathers’ everyday lives.
The book is now available! It can be purchased here, as well as many other retailers (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.).
Women are disadvantaged in both paid and domestic work, due in large part to being primarily responsible for parenting duties. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these inequalities, making the issue of reducing gender inequality even more pressing. Fathers play an important role in contributing to, and perhaps reducing, gender inequality, but barriers to their involvement in family life have received less attention than detailing challenges that mothers face. If men were equally involved in parenting and were truly fully engaged dads, women's burdens would be reduced and perceptions of who is responsible for parenting may change, resulting in greater gender equality. Father Involvement and Gender Equality in the United States focuses on the key issue of father involvement, seeking to understand why fathers are less involved parents than mothers despite an increased desire among both fathers and mothers for fathers to be more engaged parents. Specifically, I use recent national survey data from the United States to provide an overview of contemporary fatherhood in the U.S., including identifying current norms of fatherhood, barriers to father involvement, and strategies to overcome these barriers. In doing so, this book provides a unique and important contribution to our understanding of the culture of fatherhood in the U.S., and the implications of father involvement for gender equality, through the use of quantitative survey data. I also utilize interviews with fathers to compliment this national overview and illustrate how these key themes play out in fathers’ everyday lives.
The book is now available! It can be purchased here, as well as many other retailers (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.).
Media appearances
Media appearances related to this book are listed below.
- New Books Network podcast