Crowding Out Dad: Extended Kin and Father Involvement In North American Families

• In Event: 534 - Section on Children and Youth Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 02. Family and the Home Environment

Abstract

Existing research shows that when fathers have the opportunity to take some type of paternity leave and experience the transition as mothers do, they develop skills, confidence, and a sense of responsibility more similar to mothers. At the same time, feminist scholars have pointed to the role of kinship networks in mediating the tension between work and family life. However, this article found that the help offered by female relatives significantly weakened the extent to which fathers who have access to paternal leaves participate in the caregiving processes. Drawing on more than 100 interviews with parents in two Canadian cities (Montreal and Toronto) and one American city (Chicago), this research suggests that the presence and involvement of extended kin can have the opposite effect, derailing father involvement in the immediate post-natal period. For many North American families, the birth of a child is an occasion that brings family together. Grandparents and siblings often come visit from out of town in the weeks immediately after the birth, while local family members increase the frequency and duration of their visits. In both instances, kin gather to welcome the new addition to the family and to provide support to parents. In this article, we argue that by providing care work and support, extended kin reduce or limit opportunities for father involvement in real or perceived ways. More specifically, our data suggest that fathers understand or experience the presence of other care providers as rendering their own involvement unnecessary.

Authors

• Ken Chih-Yan Sun, Hong Kong Baptist University

• Erin Marie Rehel, Youngstown State University