GET LOVE - WHITE RIBBON - Home

GET LOVE

THE INVOLVED FATHER & GENDER EQUALITY PROJECT

Brought to you by The White Ribbon Campaign, in partnership with Dad Central. Funding provided by the Ontario Women's Directorate

white ribbon

Principal Investigator Ian DeGeer, Phd (can) Co-InvestigatorS

Humberto Carolo, Todd Minerson

Suggested Citation: White Ribbon Campaign (2014). Give Love, Get Love. The Involved Fatherhood and

Gender Equity Project. White Ribbon Campaign, Toronto, ON. January 2014

Contact Humberto Carolo, Director of Programs, White Ribbon

365 Bloor East, Suite 203, Toronto, ON M4W 3L4 hcarolo@whiteribbon.ca | whiteribbon.ca ? White Ribbon Campaign, 2014

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

5

Acknowledgments

7

Researcher Reflections

9

Introduction

11

Literature Review

12

Defining Involved Father

12

Linking involved fatherhood to gender equity

13

Having children as transformational

13

Generative Fathering

14

Economics

15

The role of mothers

16

The role of parental leave policies

16

Other theoretical frameworks

17

Methodology

20

Recruitment

20

Data Analysis

22

Survey Data

22

Focus group data

22

Limitations

22

Findings

24

Demographics

24

Findings: Survey Results

24

Qualitative Findings

25

Defining Involved Fatherhood

25

Stay at home father: a unique experience

31

The role of other fathers

36

Generative fathering

39

The Importance of Community

44

The experiences of Gay/Bi-sexual/Transgendered parents

47

Benefits associated with involved fatherhood

53

Involved fatherhood and the promotion of gender equality

59

Discussion

66

Lessons Learned

72

Conclusion

75

References

76

Appendix A: Informed Consent Form

78

Appendix B: Survey and Demographic Questionnaire

82

Appendix C: Interview Guideline: Focus Groups

85

Appendix D: Detailed Survey Findings

86

Appendix E: Survey answers regarding preferences for information

89

4 Give Love, Get Love | |nvolved Father and Gender Equity Project

Executive

Summary

The Involved Father and Gender Equity project was a collaborative effort between the White Ribbon Campaign and Dad Central. The study explored the positive roles that fathers, organizations working with diverse fathers, and the fatherhood sector in Ontario in general can play in promoting gender equality, healthy, equal relationships, and ending violence against women in all its forms.

The data for the study consisted of several modalities including focus groups, surveys of fathers who participated in the focus groups, interviews with stakeholders and professionals working on engaging fathers, and a preliminary environmental scan of the services available to fathers in Ontario.

Fifty-three (53) fathers took part in nine focus groups in communities across Ontario. The information regarding their experiences comprises the majority of the findings in this document. The following are the major findings associated with this research.

?? Involved fatherhood occurs along a continuum that allows fathers to find ways to actively participate in the lives of their children. Entry into fatherhood is described as a transformational journey that positively changes men and their relationship with their children and partners.

?? Fathers in this study spoke about the importance of utilizing parental leave benefits as a way to be active in family life. Some of the benefits of using parental leave including increased attachment between fathers and children and increased empathy towards the child rearing process. In the long-term, increased use of parental leave by fathers may also affect current social norms that limit men from caring and nurturing roles.

?? Fathers in this study suggested that despite the gains that have been made in parental leave policies, engaging in parental leave is an isolating and often frowned upon aspect of their experience. Fatherspecific programs were described as a way to connect with other fathers, share experiences and build informal support networks regarding their parenting.

?? Involved fatherhood has benefits for children, mothers and fathers. Fathers indicated that they feel more emotionally connected to their children and

5

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download