Our starting point is the large gender gap in time spent directly caring for children in economically developed and relatively gender egalitarian societies like Australia. Things aren't what they were 50 years ago. Mothers, particularly of younger children, are more likely to do paid work than they were in the past. But it's still quite rare for men to be the primary carer of their children. Mothers, on average, still do the bulk of the childcare and the domestic labour, while fathers still tend towards the breadwinner role. In this episode, we go beyond this familiar fact to look at how this ..read more

The family as an institution has changed significantly across time and place. How people divide labour within and beyond the family unit has been in flux throughout human history. The current model of fatherhood in many Western nations, including Australia, is a modified version of what we usually call the breadwinner model, where one parent is designated the primary earner and the other the primary carer. But where did this model of the family come from? And why is it so entrenched? Despite rapid gains in social and gender equality throughout the 20th, and into the 21st centuries, this family ..read more

In this episode, we look at more of the pressures that prevent fathers from being active and equal caregivers in their children's lives. In particular, we look at the gender norms that dictate what it means to be a good man, and the social norms that dictate what it means to be a good worker – and ask what this means for fathers’ capacity to be more active caregivers in their children’s lives. We also look at the experiences of men who defy these norms, the policies that can help shift them, as well as some of the potential benefits of change for dads, partners and families. Our guests in this ..read more

How much freedom do fathers have? Do fathers have real choices when it comes to decisions about how to divide their time between paid work and caring for the kids at home? And where do government and organisational policies fit in? One of the major societal changes of the past century has been the rise of female employment, particularly in the peak child rearing.  But over the same period, there has been much less change in men's employment rates. Why hasn't the rise in women's employment been accompanied by a drop in men's employment? And why is part time work still so much less common a ..read more

Welcome to Working Fathers, a podcast about dads, families and work. This podcast looks at the many different roles fathers play in contemporary Australian families and society – and how policy can better recognise, value and support fatherhood. Coming soon.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information ..read more