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four - Fatherhood research on the internet: methodological reflections from a literature review
- Edited by Esther Dermott, University of Bristol, Caroline Gatrell, University of Liverpool
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- Book:
- Fathers, Families and Relationships
- Published by:
- Bristol University Press
- Published online:
- 22 April 2022
- Print publication:
- 14 March 2018, pp 73-88
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Summary
Introduction
An increasing number of parents are today turning to the internet for information on children and parenting (Daneback and Plantin, 2008). Many are also living part of their family lives, and forming their identities as parents, in various chat forums and online communities and on social media (Plantin and Daneback, 2009). Against this background, the number of sites specifically directed at parents has grown substantially over the past decade. These sites provide opportunities to access large quantities of information on parenting from public sector agencies and experts, but first and foremost, they provide the opportunity for parents to share and obtain experience-based information among themselves. It has been found, however, that many of these sites attract mothers to a greater extent than fathers (Sarkadi and Bremberg, 2005; Pedersen and Smithson, 2013), while more fathers instead appear to be active on social media such as Facebook and various blog sites. Statistics on parents’ use of social media show, for example, that a majority of American fathers with internet access use Facebook on a daily basis, and almost half of these state that this provides useful parenting information (Pew Research Center, 2015). New fathers in particular appear to be active on Facebook, where they establish contacts with other parents, post pictures of their children and develop an important source of social support in their parenting (Bartholomew et al, 2012).
The internet has thus become a very interesting arena for studying how fatherhood is expressed and modelled online, as well as a source for other forms of data collection. It provides opportunities to quickly and simply collect large-scale questionnaire data, to conduct interviews or focus groups, to conduct ethnographic studies of discussions in various chat forums, or to follow the reflections of individual fathers on parenthood via blogs or personal web pages. The internet also provides the opportunity to collect large amounts of data on specific groups of fathers that are too small to study in the context of more broadly focused surveys. The internet opens up a world populated by fathers who are visible, and who can be reached and observed. But what characterises the fatherhood research that makes use of the internet to develop an improved knowledge of fathers?
five - Comparing transitions to fatherhood across contexts
- Edited by Ann Nilsen, Universitetet i Bergen, Norway, Julia Brannen, University College London, Suzan Lewis, Middlesex University
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- Book:
- Transitions to Parenthood in Europe
- Published by:
- Bristol University Press
- Published online:
- 01 September 2022
- Print publication:
- 18 April 2012, pp 67-88
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Summary
Introduction: transitions to fatherhood in context
Expectations of men as parents have changed over the last century, from the traditional position of the distant breadwinner to a more equal and nurturing father (Plantin et al, 2003; Edwards et al, 2009). As well as breadwinning, caring activities and time spent with children – forms of emotional work – are important dimensions of fathering that can have an impact on child development and family harmony (Coltrane, 1996; Lamb and Lewis, 2004; Dermott, 2008).
As discussed in Chapter Two, European society has been marked by major social change over the past 50 years: the rise of the Women's Movement, an increase in two-income families alongside increases in women's labour force participation, the introduction of parental leave, and shifting marriage and divorce patterns. In this context there is a good deal of discussion about the ‘new fatherhood’ that has become a political issue in some countries (Hobson and Morgan, 2002). Men's increasing interest in fathering has been identified by researchers in different countries (Brandth and Kvande, 2003; Duyvendak and Stavenuiter, 2004; Brannen and Nilsen, 2006). For example, Hobson and Fahlén (2009), drawing on the European Social Survey (ESS) for 2004, show how the vast majority of fathers think that reconciling work and family life is a high priority. Many fathers also wanted to reduce their working hours substantially in favour of more time with their families, although this was not always reflected in actual behaviour. However, despite whether men work full time or reduce their work time, they were still deeply emotionally engaged in their children. In Miller's (2011) interview study the men reported very strong ties to their children and showed a greater commitment to daily practices of hands-on caring than ever before. These attitudes have also gradually started to affect organisations’ policies and practices for fathers (Haas and Hwang, 2009). However, in recent years arguments about the ‘business case‘, emphasising efficiency and organisational change, have changed the debate: ‘greedy organisations’ are challenging both modern motherhood and fatherhood.
There are significant differences among welfare policies aimed at fathers between the countries in the study (Fagnani et al, 2004; see Chapter Two, this volume).
four - Social service as human service: between loyalties; a Swedish case
- Edited by Suzan Lewis, Middlesex University, Julia Brannen, University College London, Ann Nilsen, Universitetet i Bergen
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- Book:
- Work, Families and Organisations in Transition
- Published by:
- Bristol University Press
- Published online:
- 16 July 2022
- Print publication:
- 22 July 2009, pp 49-62
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Summary
The aim of the case study on which this chapter is based was to capture the experiences of parents with young children working in a social service agency in one of Sweden's largest cities. In this chapter, we will focus on features that block or facilitate the balance between work and family as well as form social workers’ career paths in a context of organisational change. The balance between work and family is often discussed with reference to the overspill from one area to another (Johansson, G., 2002). However, the study of work–family strategies is seldom related to the nature of work performed or to the character of the organisation in question. In this chapter, we will draw on these themes. Furthermore, we will discuss work–family strategies among young working parents. We will use the Transitions project's broad approach with multiple layers of information, and combine focus group discussions with information from biographical individual cases to further the context of work–family strategies (see Chapter Two and the Appendix). Our focus is especially on social workers who are working in face-toface situations with individual client cases. The analysis is based on their accounts, sometimes contrasting these with those of employees in different positions in the organisation as well as with those of managers (see also Bäck-Wiklund and Plantin, 2007).
Against this background, we will provide an analytical picture of the organisation and of some individual career paths, with a focus on the following questions:
• What does the social agency look like from the perspective of social workers who are new parents?
• What strategies do managers adopt to meet their needs?
• What does the nature of work, notably working face to face with clients, mean in this context?
• What dilemmas and loyalties do the social workers in this case study face in relation to colleagues, clients and family?
Human service organisations: a theoretical approach
Social service organisations are human service organisations and, as such, they have certain characteristics. First, they work directly with and on people whose attributes they attempt to shape. In a sense, people are their raw material. Second, they are mandated – and this justifies their existence – to protect and promote the welfare of the people they serve (Hasenfeld, 1983).