Pushing fatherhood up the agenda: our 2012-13 Annual Report

26 November 2013

For a range of social and economic reasons fathers, like mothers, need to be valued on the ‘home front’.

We know there’s a growing desire amongst fathers (and mothers) for fathers to take on stronger roles in childcare, and be better supported by maternity and children’s services. And there’s stronger-than-ever evidence about the huge impact of father-child relationships on children’s wellbeing.

But we still see the enormous power of a range of assumptions about the roles of men and women in our society, with a highly gendered approach in marketing, product development, social policy, education, and public service design and delivery. At every turn men and women are told they are deeply different and can expect different things from life. Only mothers are required to sign their babies’ birth certificates, for example; the word ‘parent’ is constantly conflated with ‘mother’; and flexible working and ‘family friendly’ policies are continually presented as being ‘women’s issues’.

Against this backdrop, the Fatherhood Institute works hard to push fatherhood up the agenda, as will be clear from a reading of our new Annual Report, which reports on the wide range of research, policy and practice work in which we’re engaged.

Read our Annual Report 2012-13.

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