Abstract
Since the late 1990s a series of government departments have promoted a policy and practice agenda urging practitioners in a range of settings such as school, health care and children's centres to 'engage' fathers. The rationale for this project is that fostering father involvement with children will promote good outcomes particularly for those children who are most disadvantaged. The author suggests that this agenda is normatively undesirable and flawed practically. Gender equality appears to be neither an explicit nor implicit aim. Moreover, by constructing the father-child relationship as dyadic, mothers' contributions to fathering and childcare are obscured. Drawing from a piece of qualitative research with fathers about their experiences of social care services, it would appear, however, that the fathers were preoccupied with mothers and their perceived power. Indeed, they had constructed a world of powerful unpredictable women who were supported by feminized services. Not only is writing mothers out problematic for gender equality purposes, it is also not feasible practically.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 208-224 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Critical Social Policy |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 7 May 2010 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Writing fathers in but mothers out!!! / Featherstone, Brid.
In: Critical Social Policy, Vol. 30, No. 2, 07.05.2010, p. 208-224.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Writing fathers in but mothers out!!!
AU - Featherstone, Brid
PY - 2010/5/7
Y1 - 2010/5/7
N2 - Since the late 1990s a series of government departments have promoted a policy and practice agenda urging practitioners in a range of settings such as school, health care and children's centres to 'engage' fathers. The rationale for this project is that fostering father involvement with children will promote good outcomes particularly for those children who are most disadvantaged. The author suggests that this agenda is normatively undesirable and flawed practically. Gender equality appears to be neither an explicit nor implicit aim. Moreover, by constructing the father-child relationship as dyadic, mothers' contributions to fathering and childcare are obscured. Drawing from a piece of qualitative research with fathers about their experiences of social care services, it would appear, however, that the fathers were preoccupied with mothers and their perceived power. Indeed, they had constructed a world of powerful unpredictable women who were supported by feminized services. Not only is writing mothers out problematic for gender equality purposes, it is also not feasible practically.
AB - Since the late 1990s a series of government departments have promoted a policy and practice agenda urging practitioners in a range of settings such as school, health care and children's centres to 'engage' fathers. The rationale for this project is that fostering father involvement with children will promote good outcomes particularly for those children who are most disadvantaged. The author suggests that this agenda is normatively undesirable and flawed practically. Gender equality appears to be neither an explicit nor implicit aim. Moreover, by constructing the father-child relationship as dyadic, mothers' contributions to fathering and childcare are obscured. Drawing from a piece of qualitative research with fathers about their experiences of social care services, it would appear, however, that the fathers were preoccupied with mothers and their perceived power. Indeed, they had constructed a world of powerful unpredictable women who were supported by feminized services. Not only is writing mothers out problematic for gender equality purposes, it is also not feasible practically.
KW - Equality
KW - Gender
KW - Policy
KW - Practice
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77952124478&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0261018309358290
DO - 10.1177/0261018309358290
M3 - Article
VL - 30
SP - 208
EP - 224
JO - Critical Social Policy
JF - Critical Social Policy
SN - 0261-0183
IS - 2
ER -