We are delighted to announce that the Nuffield Foundation is funding us to research fathers’ and father figures’ experiences during the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown. Working with Britain Thinks, we will be undertaking a mixed methodology piece of research with fathers and father-figures of children aged under 12. We will explore whether and how working, housework and childcare practices have changed, alongside a broader set of questions about the impact of the lockdown (and those changes) on relationships between fathers and their children, families and the other parents of their children - and desires and aspirations for life after the lockdown has ended. Read the full story »
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We have been invited by the House of Commons Petitions Committee, to feed into its exploration of whether or not to extend maternity leave for 3 months in response to the Covid-19 lockdown[1].
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Adrienne Burgess writes…
Reflecting on the process of industrialisation in Britain from the mid-nineteenth century, the historical demographer Peter Laslett wrote: “The most important of all the effects on the family group of the process of modernisation has undoubtedly been the physical removal from the household of the father and other earners for all of every working day .
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Mark Gatto is a working parent (PhD and Research Assistant at Northumbria School of Law and Business School) who is caring for his 14 month old son alongside his wife, who works as a doctor in the NHS.
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We have been asked to comment on this story about claims that fathers are using an Edinburgh maternity ward ‘like a hotel’.
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Adrienne Burgess writes:
NHS ENGLAND announced via a press release (2 December 2018) that when an expectant/new mother’s mental health has been identified as poor, a mental health assessment and relevant referrals are to be offered to her partner.
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The Government’s proposed First 1000 Days strategy should include, as a priority, the provision of detailed guidance to ensure that pre-conception, maternity and post-natal services reach out to, engage with and support expectant and new fathers.
FI research »
Messages from Research – updated August 2010
1. The father’s role in mothers’ depression
The evidence that impaired postnatal maternal mental health has adverse effects on the infant socially, emotionally, behaviourally and cognitively is extensive (e.g.
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The Fatherhood Institute (www.fatherhoodinstitute.org) is the world’s leading independent ‘think tank’ on fatherhood. We support both mothers and fathers as earners and carers.