Comparative father involvement: the dynamics of gender culture, policy and practice

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina A. Adler ◽  
Karl Lenz
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Father Involvement ◽  
Family Policy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Gender Egalitarianism ◽  
Individual Agency ◽  
Gender Culture ◽  
Gender Regime

This concluding chapter provides summary and analytic comparison of the statutory leave policies, child care coverage, and indicators of the gender and fatherhood regimes of the six countries featured in this book. It synthesizes the lessons learned, describes the patterns found, proposes an elaborated conceptual model of father involvement with young children, and provides some recommendations for policy and practice. Based on the evidence presented, the editors examine to what extent the integration of the concepts of ‘capability to care’ and ‘agency gap’ into the fatherhood regime model are useful in understanding the intersections of gender regime, family policy, and related cultures of care, workplace culture, and fathers’ individual agency and practice. What are the commonalities and differences in how cultural norms regarding masculinity and maternalism, degrees of gender egalitarianism, and related policy constellations translate into specific fathering practices? What can be learned from the different attempts to increase father involvement with young children via policies in order to promote gender egalitarianism and family well–being that includes empowered fathers?

Father Involvement In the Early Years

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Father Involvement ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Family Policies ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Cross National

Fatherhood is in transition and being challenged by often contradictory forces: societal mandates to be both an active father and provider, prevailing gender cultures, and the institutional arrangements in which fathers work and live. This book explores these dynamics in the context of cross-national policies and daily child care practices of fathers. It presents the current state of knowledge on father involvement with young children in six countries with unique policies related to parenting in general and support for fathers in particular: Finland, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, the UK, and the USA. These countries have different welfare state regimes, gender regimes, cultures of care and work-family reconciliation policies. This book examines these nations’ fatherhood rights and obligations, fathering practices, and father well-being. Specifically, current research is presented about the nature and extent of fathers’ activities with their young children (birth to entry into elementary school) in the context of demanding workplaces, degree of support via available family policies, and a culture demanding more father involvement. The chapters reflect the extent to which policy and practice are congruent with ideals of the active father who is both provider and nurturer of children in the unique cultural context of a country. The book concludes with a cross-national comparison, a conceptual model of fatherhood regimes, promising fatherhood initiatives, and recommendations for researchers and policy–makers.

Learning from the experience and effectiveness of retirement village and extra care housing responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachael Dutton
Keyword(s):  
Building Design ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
First Year ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Retirement Village ◽  
General Community ◽  
Extra Care Housing

Purpose This paper aims to describe the RE-COV study and to summarise its findings. It focuses particularly on the implications of lessons learned for national, operational and building design policy and practice. Design/methodology/approach Invitations to take part in a RE-COV study survey were emailed to the operators of 270 retirement villages and older people’s extra care housing schemes in England which were known to the Elderly Accommodation Counsel. Completed questionnaires were returned from 38 operators, online or electronically, between December 2020 and February 2021. Findings Survey findings evidenced the breadth and depth of the operators’ responses, the effects these had on residents’ lives and worthwhile changes which could be made. Outcomes demonstrated included higher levels of protection for residents from the COVID-19 virus compared to older people living in the general community, and high levels of residents feeling safe, supported and reassured. Practical implications The findings are used to offer evidence-based recommendations for housing operators, building designers and policymakers which could enhance resident, staff and operators’ health and well-being, both going forward and during possible future pandemics. Social implications There is evidence that retirement villages and extra care housing provided safe, resilient and supportive environments during the first year of the pandemic which were highly valued by residents. Originality/value This study addressed a knowledge gap regarding how the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted housing-with-care stakeholders, evidencing specifically how operators had responded, and what their response achieved.

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