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Supporting Fathers in Multi-Ethnic Societies: Insights from British Asian Fathers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 January 2013

PUNITA CHOWBEY ,
SARAH SALWAY  and
LYNDA CLARKE
PUNITA CHOWBEY
Affiliation:
Centre for Health and Social Care Research, 32 Collegiate Crescent, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield S10 2BJ email: p.chowbey@shu.ac.uk
SARAH SALWAY
Affiliation:
Centre for Health and Social Care Research, 32 Collegiate Crescent, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield S10 2BJ email: s.salway@shu.ac.uk
LYNDA CLARKE
Affiliation:
Department of Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT email: lynda.clarke@lshtm.ac.uk
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Abstract

There is concern that current UK policy and intervention aimed at supporting fathers remains primarily informed by dominant White middle-class values and experiences, and therefore fails to respond adequately to the needs of Britain's diverse fathers. This paper contributes to understanding of ethnic diversity in fathering contexts, practices and experiences, by reporting findings from a qualitative study of British Asian fathers, involving in-depth interviews with fifty-nine fathers and thirty-three mothers from Bangladeshi Muslim, Pakistani Muslim, Gujarati Hindu and Punjabi Sikh background, and over eight additional respondents engaged through Key Informant interviews, ethnographic interviews and group discussions. The paper highlights four areas that require greater recognition by policy-makers and practitioners to appropriately meet the needs of fathers from diverse ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. These are: recognising that fathers and mothers do not necessarily constitute an autonomous unit; appreciating diversity in fathers’ understandings of desirable child outcomes; addressing additional obstacles to achieving similar outcomes for children; and understanding that the boundaries and content of fathering are not universally recognised. Policies that are less normative and more responsive to diversity are essential to ensure that all fathers can be effectively supported.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Social Policy , Volume 42 , Issue 2 , April 2013 , pp. 391 - 408
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013

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