The History of Research on Father Involvement

An Overview

Bibliographic Data

ID11220141
AuthorsMichael E Lamb (0000-0002-6792-3526, a National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, corresponding author)
Year2000
Volume29
Issue2-3
Pages23-42
Publication date2000-05-23
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueMarriage & Family Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0149-4929 • E-ISSN: 1540-9635
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1300/j002v29n02_03
OpenAlexW1802946229
LanguageEN
Citations received266
References cited25

Both our understanding and operationalization of fatherhood and father involvement have changed over time. Fatherhood has always been a multifaceted concept, although over time the dominant or defining motif has shifted in turn from moral guidance to breadwinning to sex-role modeling, marital support, and finally nurturance. As a result of these changing concepts, the extent of father involvement has been viewed and indexed in different ways at different times. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, at a time when societal concerns about the effects of fatherlessness were coming to the fore, social scientists also became much more interested in quantification of concepts such as father involvement, motivated in part by the emergence and popularity of time-use methodologies. This prompted a shift from a focus on qualitative dimensions (such as masculinity and dominance) to quantifiable dimensions (the amount of time spent by fathers with their children). This led to a restricted focus on paternal nurturance with little if any attention paid to the other functions or aspects of fatherhood. The narrowly focused view of fatherhood that resulted, ignored subcultural variation in the definition and understanding of fatherhood. Social scientists are only now beginning to seek a broader and more inclusive understanding of fatherhood-efforts that should permit more insightful research on the effects of variations in performance of the relevant roles

Developmental psychology · Dominance (genetics · Epistemology · Masculinity · Operationalization · Popularity · Psychoanalysis · Sociology · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Gender Roles and Identity Studies · Marriage and Sexual Relationships · Psychology · Social Psychology