Fatherhood in the Nordic Welfare States

“At a time with a strong political focus on the falling birth rates, the book underscores the importance of men’s attitudes when attempting to understand what determines fertility rates.” Nordic Information on Gender (NIKK)

"This book is highly recommended to all scholars as well as students in the field of comparative family policy, parenting and fatherhood studies." Nordic Social Work Research

"A fascinating, wide-ranging and critical look at fatherhood in the Nordic world, covering home, work and social policy, addressing growing diversity in these countries and celebrating a vibrant research scene" Emeritus Professor Peter Moss, Institute of Education University of London.

"This comprehensive volume provides rich and theoretically grounded empirical analyses of Nordic policies and practices." Professor Ann Orloff, Northwestern University, US

Dr. Guðný Björk Eydal is Professor of Social Work at the University of Iceland. She has conducted comparative research for decades, publishing extensively on child, care and family policies. Dr. Tine Rostgaard is a Professor at Department of Political Science, Aalborg University, Denmark. Her work focuses on comparative research in care policies and practices for children and elderly.

Introduction ~ Guðný Björk Eydal and Tine Rostgaard;

Theme 1: Fathers, families and family policies;

Fathering: the influence of ideational factors for male fertility behaviour ~ Tine Rostgaard and Rasmus Juul Møberg;

Nordic family law: new framework, new fatherhoods ~ Hrefna Friðriksdóttir;

Fathers rights to family cash benefits in Nordic countries ~ Mia Hakovirta, Anita Haataja, Guðný Björk Eydal and Tine Rostgaard;

Theme 2: Fathers in everyday life: culture, work and care;

Time use of Finnish fathers: do institutions matter? ~ Minna Ylikännö, Hannu Pääkkönen and Mia Hakovirta;

Parental leave and classed fathering practices in Norway ~ Berit Brandth and Elin Kvande;

Negotiating leave in the workplace: leave practices and masculinity constructions among Danish fathers ~ Lotte Bloksgaard;

Gender regime, attitudes towards childcare and actual involvement in childcare among fathers ~ Mikael Nordenmark;

Theme 3: Constructing fatherhood in different family settings;

Fathering as a learning process: breaking new ground in familiar territory ~ Steen Baagøe Nielsen and Allan Westerling;

Minority ethnic men and fatherhood in a Danish context ~ Anika Liversage;

Making space for fatherhood in gay men’s lives in Norway ~ Arnfinn J. Andersen;

The long-term impacts of early paternal involvement in childcare in Denmark: what happens after nuclear family dissolution ~ Mai Heide Ottosen;

Theme 4: Caring fathers and paid parental leave policies;

The coming and going of the father’s quota in Denmark: consequences for fathers’ parental leave take-up ~ Tine Rostgaard and Mette Lausten;

Policy goals and obstacles for fathers’ parental leave in Finland ~ Minna Salmi and Johanna Lammi-Taskula;

Caring fathers and parental leave in prosperous times and times of crisis: the case of Iceland ~ Guðný Björk Eydal and Ingólfur V. Gíslason;

Parental leave use for different fathers: a study of the impact of three Swedish parental leave reforms ~ Ann-Zofie Duvander and Mats Johansson;

Theme 5: International reflections on findings;

Parental leave and fathers: extending and deepening the knowledge base ~ Janet Gornick;

Nordic fathers: tracking diversity and complexity ~ Margaret O’Brien;

Conclusions: ‘What is constructed can be transformed’ ~ Guðný Björk Eydal and Tine Rostgaard;