Fathers in Cultural Context

Abstract

Like fathers in most Western countries, Australian fathers are immersed in a rapidly changing social landscape. In this chapter, we provide a contemporary snapshot of fathers in Australia and offer some reflections on the ways in which they might be similar to and differ from fathers in other societies. The somewhat fuzzy nature of this snapshot reflects the emerging though still piecemeal knowledge base about fathers in Australia. The chapter is in six parts. Part 1 examines some of the ways in which culture, history, geography and climate shape contemporary fathering in Australia. Part 2 offers a brief demographic profile of fathers in Australia, and provides a present-day snapshot of fathers' roles within families. Part 3 examines two key areas of social policy of particular relevance to fathering, while Part 4 briefly explores some important sub-cultural variations. In Part 5, we reflect on some distinctive aspects of fathering in Australia, and Part 6 offers some speculation and concluding comments. This chapter includes the following elements: 1) A case story of a specific father(s); 2) Cultural and historical influences on fathering; 3) Comprehensive review of fathering research in the target culture(s) or region; 4) Social policy issues related to fathering; 5) Sub-cultural variations in fathering; 6) Contemporary social/economic conditions that affect fathering; 7) Speculation, predictions for the future, and comparisons with fathers in other societies.