Two American researchers form the Universities of Florida International and Miami, Finley and Schwartz, have ‘redone’ Parsons and Bales’ famous 1950s study on fatherhood fifty years on (Volume 7, No.1, 42-55 of Psychology of Men and Masculinity, 2006). The outcome of the revisit is surprising – in that it is surprisingly similar to the outcome fifty years ago. Looking at the ‘characterisation of the fathering role,’ Parsons and Bales’ found that fathering centred on so-called instrumental functions. That is, fathering was more about providing income, protection and discipline, than it was about ‘expressive’ functions – the more emotional aspects of care giving, which were found to be largely mothering functions. The original study covered an ethnically diverse sample of American students from both divorced and in tact families. The aim was to gauge the role that the respondents’ fathers had played in their upbringing. In reproducing the study, Finley and Schwartz have gathered a similar respondent pool. What Finley and Schwartz’s research shows is that 50 years later, despite huge societal change, little has altered in the nature of fathering.
Inherent in the 'instrumental' role is less presence in the daily life of the child. Differences in themselves between the roles of fathers and mothers are neither surprising nor worrying. What is surprising, however, is that the lack of 'expressiveness ' in the role of fathers has seen very limited changes despite women's hugely increased participation in the workforce since the 1950s - and therefore the increase in mother’s 'instrumental' function relating to income. One would have expected to see some shift, although limited, in the share of 'expressive' or emotional parenting.
If, as one would assume, conclusions can be drawn about British fathers from this study, perhaps the government’s recent assertion of a climate change amongst young fathers, accompanying the DfES's 'daddy packs', is a misreading.
Comments (1)
This looks interesting. But my guess would be that although the actual role that fathers play may not have changed what has changed surely is whether or not they actually play said role in their children's lives. Even the most well meaning liberal cannot possibly pretend that absenteeism isn't going to have _some_ effect a parent's role. And of course the real change has been in the behaviour of women. Well no surprise there at all! The de-feminisation of women is now largely a _fait accomplit_, and the degradation of motherhood is a perfectly natural consequence of this unfortunate social phenomenon. Again the liberal fantasy presumably was that New Man would pick up the slack by helping to change baby's nappies and cook his wife's supper. And of course that hasn't happened either. So we now live in a world in which fatherhood is just the same as it always was, whether or not there's actually less of it available to children generally, and in which motherhood has been largely abolished. And they say Marxism is dead!
Posted by Oliver McCarthy | June 21, 2006 12:57 AM
Posted on June 21, 2006 00:57