Tensions between fatherhood and the social construction of masculinity in Italy

Abstract

The article examines how fathers' attempts to establish intimate relationships with their young children (0-3 years) bring to light tensions between prevailing models of fatherhood and hegemonic masculinity. The result of these contradictory negotiations is a complex redefinition of what it means to be a father today, whereby aspects of both past experiences and new social expectations are accepted and rejected. The article approaches gender as a relational concept and so incorporates the perspective of mothers. By way of biographical-narrative research conducted with Italian new fathers and new mothers, the article shows that some aspects of cultural models of masculinity can obstruct the process of building intimate relationships with young children because such relationships need to be grounded in precisely those aspects that dominant forms of masculinity repress: emotions, affectivity and physical closeness. However, the visceral contradictions between gendered social norms, individual desires and men's discovery of the pleasures of care can entail the learning of a different embodiment, and so hold the potential for a transformation of intimacy in father-child relationships. The article reflects on whether new fathering practices can change the hierarchical relationships that mark the contemporary social construction of masculinity and femininity.

Exploring Ambivalence in Family Ties: Progress and Prospects

“…An impressive array of publications has applied ambivalence to family ties (Katz, Lowenstein, Phillips, & Daatland, 2005;Pillemer & Lüscher, 2004); intergenerational relations (Igarashi, Hooker, Coehlo, & Manoogian, 2013;Lüscher, 2011Lüscher, , 2013Pillemer et al, 2007;Prinzen, 2012;Spitze & Gallant, 2004;Ward, 2008;Willson, Shuey, Elder, & Wickrama, 2006), including those of in-laws (Merrill, 2007;Peters, Hooker, & Zvonkovic, 2006) and grandparents (Ko, 2012;Sun, 2012;; gay and lesbian family ties (Cohler, 2004;Connidis, 2003a;Humble, 2013); kin ties of single mothers (Sarkisian, 2006); sibling ties (Bedford & Avioli, 2012), including comparisons with parent-child ties (Fingerman, Hay, & Birditt, 2004); cross-generational responses to divorce (Connidis, 2003b;Moore, Timonen, O'Dwyer, & Doyle, 2012); fatherhood and masculinity (Magaraggia, 2012); and women at midlife (Mandell, Wilson, & Duffy, 2008).…”

Generations Comparison: Father Role Representations in the 1980s and the New Millennium

“…Scholars have more recently focused on childcare tasks and their division in the family as well as work and family balance, with a gender perspective (Tanturri and Mencarini 2009;Magaraggia 2013;Ruspini and Tanturri 2017). Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly clear that choices regarding the division of tasks between parents have undergone a decision-making process by the couple, rather than the individual, in which paternal and maternal competencies are not blurred but valued as different (Rossi and Mazzucchelli 2011).…”

“…Research from different countries (Magaraggia 2013;Bosoni 2014aBosoni , 2014bBosoni et al 2016;Ruspini and Tanturri 2017) reports the growing importance of the father figure in the family context and a greater desire and willingness of the father to be present in childcare, with more involvement in practical care activities (O'Brien and Wall 2015;Miller 2011;Gregory and Milner 2011;Lamb 1999). Thus the complex issue of reconciling family and work, long considered purely feminine, is increasingly seen as a paternal responsibility.…”

Fathers in Work Organizations

“…Various studies show that it is important for fathers to make sure that child care is compatible with masculinity. This shows that the figure of the involved father has no legitimate place in the pattern of hegemonic masculinity (Doucet, 2006;Magaraggia, 2013). In a study on Belgian fathers who stay at home for at least six months, Merla discovered that these fathers "reported diffuse feelings that others sometimes considered them as effeminate or weak, or put into question their sexual orientation" (Merla 2008: 123).…”

“…Among the reasons most often identified are the persistence of patriarchal gender relations; the welfare state systems that continue to be based on the role of the mother as the main parent, considering fathers to be relatively marginal; the resistance of employers to providing the means to reconcile work and private life, and their sanctioning of men who do not match the expectations of the labor market; the reluctance of mothers to relinquish their predominant role in the household in a context where they struggle to gain recognition in other life-areas (Dermott 2003;Pfau-Effinger 2005). Also, research conducted in Italy has highlighted the cultural resistance encountered by fathers who reject the traditional model to adopt alternative practices (Magaraggia 2013).…”