Researchers have shattered the ‘Modern’ fathers myth, insisting that they have been around for far longer than generally assumed, but they have only recently started changing nappies.
|Last Updated: Jun 14, 2012, 12:39 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Washington: Researchers have shattered the ‘Modern’ fathers myth, insisting that they have been around for far longer than generally assumed, but they have only recently started changing nappies.
Dr Laura King from the University of Warwick’s Centre for the History of Medicine said that the assumption that fathers have only become more involved in looking after their children over the past 20 years is not true.
However, statistics show it has taken longer for dads to get to grips with dirty nappies.
Figures from a 1982 study showed 43 percent of fathers never changed a nappy. By 2000 another study showed this figure had fallen to 3 percent.
A 2010 study by the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit reported that 65 percent of men helped ‘a great deal’ with nappy changing.
Dr King has looked at archive material including newspapers, social research and interviews with fathers.
“We must reject suggestions that close father-child relationships have only developed since the 1970s or even 1990s. The stereotype of the distant and tyrannical Victorian patriarch conceals substantial evidence of fathers who cared greatly for their children and played with them, educated them, and even nursed them,” she said.
The study suggests that in the post Second World War era, fathers were more determined to cultivate much closer relationships with their children than they had experienced with their own fathers.
This was reinforced by important social trends, the reduction in average family size meant that many parents could devote more time to each of their children.
A decrease in working hours and increased holiday time also meant that men had more time available to spend with their families.
Dr King said that there was an emphasis on the nuclear family after 1945 caused by the expansion of state welfare and psychological thinking about the family.
“We have to rethink this idea that ‘modern’ fathers are a recent phenomenon. Such stereotypes affect policy-making and the way legislation is used; fathers are still subject to harmful stereotyping. There is a great deal of historical evidence showing that fathers have played a caring and nurturing role with their children for centuries, including taking informal paternity leave to support their partners around the time of childbirth. However, it does seem to have taken a while for the majority of fathers to take their turn in changing dirty nappies,” she said.
“By 1982 there were still 43% of fathers who never changed a nappy. This figure has dropped to 3% by 2000. We can see from the 2010 figures that more men are changing nappies on a regular basis. Whilst we can point to clear practical changes such as nappy-changing, men’s participation in childbirth, policy changes introducing official paternity leave and changes in child custody laws, the change in active fatherhood has been less sudden that is often assumed,” she added.
The paper was published on the History and Policy website.
ANI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.