Redefining Fatherhood
Nancy E. Dowd
(Reviewer - Rebecca Brown)
2000 New York University Press
ISBN: 0814719252

For many men, their parenthood is defined as biological or economic, while others struggle against the presumption that they are not born caregivers. Now the case is made for reenvisioning fathering, focusing on the law & social & nurturing behaviors.

This book begins with: “It's Father's Day. This year, we will honor fathers by making them more visible. We will not give them a day off but rather a day on, a day at the center of things....”

Part I explores Contemporary Fathers in the context of modern fatherhood:

“...To begin thinking about fatherhood, we must expose the context within which we operate. In order to measure where we are against what we think fatherhood ought to be, we need to know how fathers function and what fatherhood looks like...”

This part is rife with pungent observations about “How do men parent?”:

“...The dominant pattern of fatherhood...is one of abandonment or lack of connection...”

“father-absent homes...[T]he basic caretaking patterns of American fathers are remarkably similar to fathers in other cultures...as consistently characterized by economic providing, serving as a role model, protecting family members, and functioning as an authority figure...”

Traditionally men parent children who reside with them &, in this day of serial marriages, may parent more than one set of children over their life course.

“How do contemporary fatherhood patterns fit within a historical perspective? ...the Industrial Revolution did more to change fatherhood than any other single historical event...”

From one quoted research analysis: “Women...perceived motherhood as an expected primary role and felt they had to explain any departure from that role...Men, on the other hand, had to explain why they were involved in “motherhood” or child rearing and what had permitted them to depart from the breadwinner role...”

The first part of Redefining Fatherhood is a broad & detailed correlation of fascinating studies & their findings -- the warp of this book's weave -- few & far between because the study of fatherhood, like the study of patriarchy & God were inexplicable, irrefutable & untouchable -- until the 1970s. In this section laws pertaining to Divorced Fathers, Black Fathers & Gay Fathers are researched & discussed.

Part II -- Fathers In Law is a mind-opening section about Constitutional Fathers; Biological Fathers & Economic Fathers & becomes the weft in this finely woven examination.

Professor Dowd sketches the basic structure of laws that assume or explicitly describe fatherhood -- the law has had a significant & increasing impact on fathers, of late. This is where minimalistic, status-oriented definitions are devised to grant rights on the basis of biology, marriage or other sign of commitment yet predominantly limited to economic support. Despite the legal system's clear patriarchal origin, men see it as punitive rather than protective of their interests.

In summary, Professor Dowd asserts that constitutional fatherhood is overwhelmingly marital fatherhood. It is at the state level that Biological Fatherhood comes into its own -- via “common law” -- it is the opinion that biology defines fatherhood & while we might admit a “paternal instinct” exists, it in no way can compete with our entrenched opinion about “maternal instinct” -- after all, it is only recently that we've made paternity a scientific certainty.

Nowadays there are many strange & new ways to be a father & the laws pertaining to Paternity and Legitimation, Adoption, Sperm Donors and Other Reproductive Technologies Issues are being defined every day.

In the good old days, what fathers did included being patriarchs, teachers, moral leaders & disciplinarians as well as economic providers (in many cultures it was considered quite vile were a man to earn a living -- it was his wife who brought in the dough.) Nowadays, we see fathers almost exclusively as breadwinners, although our contemporary conceptions about fatherhood intimate that they could be as nurturing as mothers.

In Economic Fathers we learn that the standards, the definition, the rights & the responsibilities of fatherhood are set, only within the context of marriage. The laws of the “family man” -- by his positive presence or his negative absence -- have come to be exclusively defined in economic terms. The cracks begin to show in this “...premise that men and women are now equal in marriage...”

Take Custody, for instance -- Child Support for another, Welfare & Work-Related Benefits and the Tax Structure -- take a good look at them -- then blow your nose!

Was I ever ready for Part III -- Redefining Fatherhood posing A New Model:

“...Redefining fatherhood, like imagining racial equality and civil rights, is not inherently difficult...” Nurturing our children -- psychologically, physically, intellectually & spiritually, rests on our children's needs & benefits us all -- adults & society alike. That's the easy part, the hard part is fleshing out a definition of what we mean when we talk about men nurturing children & figuring out what tools we'll need for this endeavor, given our history & today's context.

The last third of Professor Dowd's book is devoted to exploring ways to redefine the role of men with their children.

It is Sweden who leads the way in rethinking fatherhood & exemplifies a gender-neutral, gender-equal fatherhood model. Even though they got there by going through the back door - needing women's labor in the wage labor market -- rather than women's demand for equality. Don't knock it until you've tried it!

It's strange, when I remember Dr. Spock's influence on millions of mothers, that men have no problem defining what a mother should be yet when it comes to a checklist of what fathers ought to be -- the old chestnuts of provider, teacher, patriarch are hauled out. Before he recanted, Dr. Spock would have all children raised like robots -- we have a long way to go in redefining fatherhood & most of it revolves around our ingrained memories of what that word means -- that is why this author unsparingly uses nurturers & caregivers in her text. We have got to change our minds & the way to do it is to change the way we use words.

There is a superb Bibliography-cum-Reference section -- which I would expect from a Professor of Law!

What a read! What a challenge!

If you are at all interested in how fatherhood got to its current, sorry state & where it might be headed; if you ponder on how the laws of our land characterize parents & marriage; if you're trapped in an unhappy, meaningless role model & want some new clues; if you're at all worried about our society of father-abandoned children -- then I suggest you read Redefining Fatherhood & take a long look around you.

Nancy E. Dowd is Professor of Law, University Research Foundation Professor & Trustee Research Scholar at the University of Florida & is author of In Defense of Single-Parent Families.

Among the many political & nonprofit organizations that have sprung up around fatherhood issues are:
The Fatherhood Project -- promoting radical change in personal as well as structural & cultural perspectives.
The National Fatherhood Institute -- encourages a unique & traditional role to fatherhood.
The National Fatherhood Initiative -- grounded in the position that fathers are unique & irreplaceable.
The Promise Keepers -- calls for men to be more responsible heads of households based on biblical models.
(06/17/01)

Rebecca