Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T13:15:45.022Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

‘You can Spend Time. . .But not Necessarily be Bonding with Them’: Australian Fathers’ Constructions and Enactments of Infant Bonding

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 July 2016

MICHELLE BRADY ,
EMILY STEVENS ,
LAETITIA COLES ,
MARIA ZADOROZNYJ  and
BILL MARTIN
MICHELLE BRADY
Affiliation:
School of Social Science, Michie Building, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia email: Michelle.brady@uq.edu.au
EMILY STEVENS
Affiliation:
School of Social Science, Michie Building, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia email: emily.stevens1@uqconnect.edu.au
LAETITIA COLES
Affiliation:
Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland, Long Pocket Precinct, 80 Meiers Rd,| Indooroopilly, QLD 4068, University of Queensland email: l.coles@uq.edu.au
MARIA ZADOROZNYJ
Affiliation:
Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland, Long Pocket Precinct, 80 Meiers Rd,| Indooroopilly, QLD 4068, University of Queensland email: m.zadoroznyj@uq.edu.au
BILL MARTIN
Affiliation:
Institute for Social Science Research, The University of Queensland, Long Pocket Precinct, 80 Meiers Rd,| Indooroopilly, QLD 4068, University of Queensland
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Governments are increasingly implementing policies that encourage early father-infant bonding. However, to date, research has not systematically examined fathers’ perspectives and experiences of early bonding. Using a social constructionist embodiment perspective we argue that paternal bonding is best conceived as a process of repeated, embodied performances that are shaped by gendered parenting discourses. Drawing on 100 semi-structured interviews with a diverse group of Australian fathers of young infants, we argue that most men believe they are capable of developing early strong bonds. They assume that bonding is a product of spending sufficient time with a child, irrespective of the parent's gender. In contrast, a sizable minority of fathers assert that physiology means fathers are ‘largely useless’ to very young infants, and tend to remain distant in the early months. We conclude that social policies promoting early paternal bonding must engage with and challenge gendered/physiological discourses.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Social Policy , Volume 46 , Issue 1 , January 2017 , pp. 69 - 90
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Australian Government: Department of Health (2012), The WHO Code and Breastfeeding: An International Comparative Overview. Canberra: Australia: Australian Government.Google Scholar
Australian Government: DSS (2013), Paid Parental Leave: Dad and Partner Pay.Google Scholar
Baxter, J. (2013), Employment Characteristics and Transitions of Mothers in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, Canberra, Australia: Australian Government: Department of Social Services.Google Scholar
Brady, M. (2008), Absences and silences in the production of work-life balance policies in Canada. Studies in Political Economy, 81.Google Scholar
Brady, M. (2015), What can qualitative research contribute to work and family policy? Journal of Family Studies 21 (1): 1–6.Google Scholar
Braun, A., Vincent, C. and Ball, S. J. (2011) Working-class fathers and childcare: the economic and family contexts of fathering in the UK. Community, Work & Family 14 (1): 19–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, G. L., Mangelsdorf, S. C. and Neff, C. (2012), Father involvement, paternal sensitivity, and father-child attachment security in the first 3 years. Journal of Family Psychology 26 (3): 421.Google Scholar
Bünning, M. (2015), What Happens after the ‘Daddy Months’? Fathers’ Involvement in Paid Work, Childcare, and Housework after Taking Parental Leave in Germany. European Sociological Review: jcv072.Google Scholar
Butler, J. (2011), Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. NY: NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Cameron, D. (1999), Performing Gender Identity: young men's talk and the construction and heterosexual masculinity. In: Jaworski, A and Coupland, N (eds) The Discourse Reader. London: Routledge, 419–32.Google Scholar
Chin, R., Hall, P. and Daiches, A. (2011), Fathers' experiences of their transition to fatherhood: a metasynthesis. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology 29 (1): 4–18.Google Scholar
Chodorow, N. (1978), The Reproduction of Mothering. : Berkeley CA: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Chowbey, P., Salway, S. and Clarke, L. (2013), Supporting Fathers in Multi-Ethnic Societies: Insights from British Asian Fathers. Journal of Social Policy 42 (02): 391–408.Google Scholar
Coltart, C. and Henwood, K. (2012), On paternal subjectivity: a qualitative longitudinal and psychosocial case analysis of men's classed positions and transitions to first-time fatherhood. Qualitative Research 12 (1): 35–52.Google Scholar
Connell, R. (2009), Short Introductions: Gender. Cambridge, UK: Polity.Google Scholar
Cosson, B. and Graham, E. (2012), I felt like a third wheel’: Fathers’ stories of exclusion from the parenting team. Journal of Family Studies 18 (2–3): 121–129.Google Scholar
D'Enbeau, S., Buzzanell, P. M. and Duckworth, J. (2010), Problematizing classed identities in fatherhood: Development of integrative case studies for analysis and praxis. Qualitative Inquiry 16 (9): 709–720.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Department of Business, Innovation & Skills [DBIS], Swinson, J. and Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (2014), Parents Can Now Apply for Shared Parental Leave. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-shared-parental-leave-regulations-come-into-effect Google Scholar
Dermott, E. (2008), Intimate Fatherhood: A Sociological Analysis. : Routledge.Google Scholar
Dolan, A. (2013), ‘I've Learnt What a Dad Should Do’: The Interaction of Masculine and Fathering Identities among Men Who Attended a ‘Dads Only ’Parenting Programme. Sociology 48 (4).Google Scholar
Doucet, A. (2006), ‘Estrogen-filled worlds’: fathers as primary caregivers and embodiment. The Sociological Review 54 (4): 696–716.Google Scholar
Doucet, A. (2009), Dad and baby in the first year: Gendered responsibilities and embodiment. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 624 (1): 78–98.Google Scholar
Doucet, A. (2013), A “Choreography of Becoming”: Fathering, Embodied Care, and New Materialisms. Canadian Review of Sociology/Revue Canadienne De Sociologie 50 (3): 284–305.Google Scholar
Edin, K. and Nelson, T. J. (2013), Doing the Best I can: Fatherhood in the Inner City. : Univ of California Press.Google Scholar
Eerola, J. P. and Huttunen, J. (2011), Metanarrative of the “New Father” and Narratives of Young Finnish First-Time Fathers. Fathering: A Journal of Theory, Research, and Practice about Men as Fathers 9 (3): 211–231.Google Scholar
Fägerskiöld, A. (2008), A change in life as experienced by first-time fathers. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences 22 (1): 64–71.Google Scholar
Finn, M. and Henwood, K. (2009), Exploring masculinities within men's identificatory imaginings of first-time fatherhood. British Journal of Social Psychology 48 (3): 547–562.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gillies, V. (2009), Understandings and experiences of involved fathering in the United Kingdom: Exploring classed dimensions. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 624 (1): 49–60.Google Scholar
Goodman, J. H. (2005), Becoming an involved father of an infant. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing 34 (2): 190–200.Google Scholar
Graham, L. J. (2011), The Product of Text and ‘Other’ Statements: Discourse analysis and the critical use of Foucault. Educational Philosophy and Theory 43 (6): 663–674.Google Scholar
Haas, L. and Hwang, C. P. (2008), The impact of taking parental leave on fathers’ participation in childcare and relationships with children: Lessons from Sweden. Community, Work and Family 11 (1): 85–104.Google Scholar
Habib, C. and Lancaster, S. (2006), The transition to fatherhood: Identity and bonding in early pregnancy. Fathering: A Journal of Theory, Research, and Practice about Men as Fathers 4 (3): 235–253.Google Scholar
Hamilton, A. and De Jonge, D. (2010), The impact of becoming a father on other roles: An ethnographic study. Journal of Occupational Science 17 (1): 40–46.Google Scholar
Ives, J. (2014), Men, maternity and moral residue: negotiating the moral demands of the transition to first time fatherhood. Sociology of Health & Illness 36 (7): 1003–1019.Google Scholar
Ives, J. (2015), Theorising the ‘deliberative father’: compromise, progress and striving to do fatherhood well. Families, Relationships and Societies 4 (2): 281–294.Google Scholar
Letts, Q. (2015), Six weeks of paternity leave, Wills? You'll send Kate crazy says Quentin Letts, who reveals he only made it through a week with his own children. Daily Mail p. Accessed at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3051377/Six-weeks-paternity-leave-Wills-ll-send-Kate-crazy-says-Quentin-Letts-reveals-week-children.html.Google Scholar
Lewis, J. and Campbell, M. (2007), Work/family balance policies in the UK since 1997: a new departure? Journal of Social Policy 36 (03): 365–381.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Magaraggia, S. (2012), Tensions between fatherhood and the social construction of masculinity in Italy. Current Sociology 61 (1): 76–92.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martin, B., Yerkes, M. A., Hewitt, B., Baird, M., Jones, A. E., Rose, J., Davis, K. et al. (2013) Paid Parental Leave Evaluation: Phase 2 Report. Canberra: Australian Government: Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.Google Scholar
Martin, B., Baird, M., Brady, M., Broadway, B., Hewitt, B., Kalb, G. et al. (2014) Paid Parental Leave Evaluation: Final Report. Canberra: DSS.Google Scholar
Miller, T. (2010), “It's a Triangle That's Difficult to Square”: Men's Intentions and Practices around Caring, Work and First-Time Fatherhood. Fathering: A Journal of Theory, Research, and Practice about Men as Fathers 8 (3): 362–378.Google Scholar
Miller, T. (2011), Falling back into gender? Men's narratives and practices around first-time fatherhood. Sociology 45 (6): 1094–1109.Google Scholar
Nash, M. (2012), Making ‘Postmodern’ Mothers: Pregnant Embodiment, Baby Bumps and Body Image. : Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
OECD. (2011), OECD Labour Force Statistics 1989 - 2009, 2010 Edition, OECD.Google Scholar
OECD. (2014), OECD Family Database.Google Scholar
Plantin, L. (2007), Different classes, different fathers? On fatherhood, economic conditions and class in Sweden. Community, Work and Family 10 (1): 93–110.Google Scholar
Premberg, Å., Hellström, A. and Berg, M. (2008), Experiences of the first year as father. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences 22 (1): 56–63.Google Scholar
Raising Children Network (2012), Raising Children Network http://raisingchildren.net.au/.Google Scholar
Ramchandani, P. G., Domoney, J., Sethna, V., Psychogiou, L., Vlachos, H. and Murray, L (2013), Do early father–infant interactions predict the onset of externalising behaviours in young children? Findings from a longitudinal cohort study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 54 (1): 56–64.Google Scholar
Rehel, E. M. (2014), When Dad Stays Home Too Paternity Leave, Gender, and Parenting. Gender & Society 28 (1): 110–132.Google Scholar
Rose, J., Brady, M., Yerkes, M. A. and Coles, L (2015), ‘Sometimes they just want to cry for their mum’: couples' negotiations and rationalisations of gendered divisions in infant care. Journal of Family Studies 21 (1): 38–56.Google Scholar
Rush, P. (2012), Dad and Partner Pay, Implications for Policy Makers and Practitioners, CFCA Paper no. 12. Canberra, Australia: Australian Institute of Family Studies.Google Scholar
Schober, P. S. (2014), Parental leave and domestic work of mothers and fathers: a longitudinal study of two reforms in West Germany. Journal of Social Policy 43 (02): 351–372.Google Scholar
Shirani, F. (2013), The Spectre of the Wheezy Dad: Masculinity, Fatherhood and Ageing. Sociology 47 (6): 1104–1119.Google Scholar
Shirani, F. and Henwood, K. (2011), Continuity and change in a qualitative longitudinal study of fatherhood: relevance without responsibility. International Journal of Social Research Methodology 14 (1): 17–29.Google Scholar
Shows, C. and Gerstel, N. (2009), Fathering, Class, and Gender A Comparison of Physicians and Emergency Medical Technicians. Gender & Society 23 (2): 161–187.Google Scholar
Sykes, T. (2014), Two weeks of paternity leave is a waste of time. The Telegraph, 6 February, 2014,.Google Scholar
UK Government (2015a), Paternity Pay and Leave Available at: https://www.gov.uk/paternity-pay-leave/overview.Google Scholar
UK Government, (2015b), Shared Parental Leave and Pay Available at: https://www.gov.uk/shared-parental-leave-and-pay/overview Google Scholar
UK Government: Department for Employment and Learning (2014), Shared Parental Leave and Pay. UK: UK Government: Department for Employment and Learning.Google Scholar
Williams, J. C., Blair-Loy, M. and Berdahl, J. L. (2013), Cultural schemas, social class, and the flexibility stigma. Journal of Social Issues 69 (2): 209–234.Google Scholar