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Rights and 'wrongs' of contemporary fatherhood become the focus of parenting culture seminar

The new agenda to involve fathers in child-rearing and family life is the theme of the second seminar in the Changing Parenting Culture series, the aim of which is to explore how and why 21st-century parenting has become a constant source of public anxiety.

Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, the seminar will take place at the University of Cambridge on Friday 3 April. Discussion topics will include: young fathers; attachment parenting; unmarried fathers and rights on birth; fathers' rights and responsibilities; and fatherhood and the law.

Participants include: Dr Ellie Lee, University of Kent; Zeynep Gurtin-Broadbent, Centre for Family Research, University of Cambridge; Professor Richard Collier, University of Newcastle; Professor Brid Featherstone, Bradford University; Jennie Bristow, journalist, researcher and founder of www.parentswithattitude.com; Dr Jan Macvarish, University of Kent; Dr Esther Dermott, University of Bristol; Dr Jonathan Ives, University of Birmingham; Dr Jude Browne, Executive Director, Cambridge University Centre for Gender Studies; Professor Gayle Letherby, University of Plymouth; and Professor Sally Sheldon, Kent Law School, University of Kent.

Dr Lee, one of the organisers of the series, said: 'British society has taken on a new approach to fatherhood. New fathers are routinely encouraged to improve "bonding" with their children by attending classes that show them how to play with their children or how to read to them. "Work-life balance" policies are justified on the grounds that fathers can be more involved with parenting. The seminar will explore what lies behind this drive to change what fathers do and how they feel.'

Charlotte Faircloth from the University of Cambridge, who will be discussing her research on the practice of 'attachment-parenting', added: 'My research reveals that there seems to be an acceptance that women are "designed" to look after children. This seminar will explore the gendered dimension of parenting - for example, is the sort of care mothers and fathers provide interchangeable, or are there differences that should be taken into account when talking about how to "involve" fathers?'

Professor Sheldon, who will be speaking about the government's intention to make it obligatory to include the name of an unmarried father on a child's birth certificate, welcomed the opportunity to discuss a proposed reform that she believes illustrates perfectly the tensions at the heart of current thinking on fatherhood. She said: 'If fatherhood is just about a genetic connection and the birth certificate is no more than a record of biological fact, then registering all fathers is perfectly logical. But if fatherhood is about an important social relationship with a child, then encouraging birth registration may make less sense. The government is suggesting that we give all genetic fathers legal rights as a way of encouraging them to take responsibility for their children. But surely rights should follow responsibilities rather than the other way around.'

Further information on the seminar, including abstracts, can be obtained from the Parenting Culture Studies website.

Contact: mediaoffice@kent

Story published at 8:56am 3 April 2009