The Academic View

I don't know what's going on up there in Canada, but as far as I can tell, the most thoughtful analysis of fatherhood going on in North America is happening north of the border. If you used the links in yesterday's post and surfed around, you probably already saw this most insightful paper, published in something called the Ivey Business Journal. It's by Linda Hawkins and a guy named Kerry Daly, who has cropped up here before.

The paper is titled "Fathers and the Work-Family Politic," and it's well worth the read. The paper lays out what are probably obvious facts to anyone reading this site: men are participating more at home, that pays huge dividends for their family, and the working world remains ignorant (or hostile) to these emerging family needs. Interestingly, the authors suggest that there are unique elements of work-life balance for fathers and that there should be a male-centric approach to the problem, in addition to a mother-centric approach.

I'd quote long passages here, but I'd end up posting the whole thing. If you're interested, check it out.

There are also a number of fatherhood-support organizations -- most of them Canadian -- mentioned in the article, and I plan to check 'em and report back.