Rudy Ray Seward

Employment Leave and Fathers’ Involvement with Children According to Mothers and Fathers

Employment leave patterns, factors affecting these patterns, and the impact on involvement with children were assessed for fathers in thirty-eight couples. Parents completed self-administered questionnaires on work schedule changes after the arrival of a baby, reactions to these changes, child care activities, and attitudes. An average of the mothers and the fathers assessments for the twenty-one items and index were used to measure fathers’ involvement. Almost half of the fathers took some leave, but few utilized parental leave benefits. White non-Hispanic fathers who shared equalitarian beliefs with mothers were the most likely to take leave. Fathers who took leave were more likely to share some child care tasks with mothers than were fathers who did not take leave, but no differences were found for time spent or taking responsibility for child care. Holding equalitarian beliefs, the amount and source of income, education, and hours worked were predictive of greater involvement.

FATHERS TAKING PARENTAL LEAVE AND THEIR INVOLVEMENT WITH CHILDREN

Parental leave has been promoted as a way to enhance employed fathers’ involvement with their children. Leave patterns, factors affecting these patterns and the impact of taking leave on involvement with children were assessed for fathers in 38 couples. Parents, contacted through their employers, completed self-administered questionnaires on their work schedule changes after the arrival of a baby, reactions to these changes, childcare activities and attitudes. The mothers and fathers assessments in each couple were averaged to measure 21 different aspects of fathers’ involvement. Fathers who took leave were more likely to share some specific childcare tasks with mothers than fathers who did not take leave but no differences were found for time spent with children or taking responsibility for childcare. Parents’ equalitarian beliefs, income and education had more impact than taking leave on fathers’ overall involvement in childcare. Se ha promovido La Licencia de Paternidad como una forma para ayudar a los padres que están empleados a involucrarse con sus hijos. Los patrones de estas licencias, los factores que afectan estos patrones, y el impacto que tiene esta licencia en las relaciones con los niños fueron evaluadas por los padres en 38 parejas. Los padres, contactados por sus empleadores, completaron cuestionarios sobre los cambios en sus horarios de trabajo después de la llegada del bebé, las reacciones a esos cambios, actividades para el cuidado del niño, y sus actitudes. Se hizo un promedio midiendo los 21 diferentes aspectos del involucro de los padres presentado en las evaluaciones hechas por la madre y el padre en cada pareja. Los padres que tomaron licencia de paternidad, generalmente compartieron con la madre algunos aspectos específicos para el cuidado del niño a diferencia de los padres que no tomaron la licencia, pero no se encontraron diferencias sobre el tiempo empleado con los niños o en las responsabilidades del cuidado de los mismos. En general, las creencias sobre la igualdad, la situación económica y la educación de los padres, tuvo más impacto que el involucrarse totalmente en el cuidado de los niños de los padres con licencia de paternidad.

IRISH FAMILIES IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY: EXCEPTIONAL OR CONVERGING?

Irish families were characterized as being patriarchal, stem-extended, large, strong, and stable for much of the twentieth century. Studies completed during the 1930s and 1940s propagated this depiction. These characteristics made Irish families an exception to the convergence of family patterns going on worldwide. Historical scholarship and empirical data are used to assess the accuracy of this characterization, chart changing patterns, and compare changes in Irish families to families in Sweden and the United States. The stem-extended family reigned as an ideal type but Irish families emulating these characteristics were prevalent only briefly in rural western Ireland. Rapid, radical, and broad changes in Irish family patterns since the 1960s are heading toward convergence at a pace considered exceptional.

Fathers, Fathering, and Fatherhood Across Cultures

This chapter reviews the development and current status of fathering research worldwide with a focus on the cultural context of fatherhood. Parenting research in large-scale societies initially focused on mothers and when fathers were studied they typically were White, North American, and middle-class. Currently evidence is available from cultures in every continent but the coverage within and between nations varies widely. Uneven coverage makes cross-cultural comparisons difficult but when possible they often challenge previous assumptions made in Western cultures. Approaches to fathering vary widely from a primary concern with being a disciplinarian and provider to those focusing on nurturing child care with many possible types and combinations in between. Non-Western fathering varies more dramatically than fathering practices in the Western world. However, almost all research on fathers across cultures since 1990 suggests some change in the direction of greater involvement by fathers. Cultures with more involved fathers tend to be more peaceful and have more gender equality. Comparative studies are needed within regions, within a given culture, and that focus on shared conditions like emigration.

Positive Effects of Work on Family Life: A Case for Self-Managed Work Teams

Self-managed work teams (SMWTs) redesign the workplace primarily to improve quality, productivity, and timeliness. A side effect of this redesign is that it involves skills, such as conflict resolution and listening, that can potentially spill over into..