Fathering and Poverty: Uncovering Men’s Participation in Low-Income Family Life

Description

Anna Tarrant’s revealing research explores the dynamics of men’s caring responsibilities in low-income families’ lives.    The book draws on pioneering multigenerational research to examine men’s involvement in care for their families. It interrogates how this is affected by the resources available and the constraints upon them, considering intersections of gender, generation and work, as well as the impact of austerity and welfare support.   Illuminating aspects of care within economic hardship that often go unseen, it deepens our understanding of masculinities and family life and the policies and practices that support or undermine men’s participation. Front Cover Fathering and Poverty: Uncovering Men’s Participation in Low- Income Family Life Copyright information Dedication Table of contents List of figures and tables List of abbreviations About the author Acknowledgments 1 Introduction: Fathering, poverty, families and policy ‘Dad deprivation’: the current state of policy and public debate Contemporary fatherhoods: Unpicking father absence and presence The absent presence of low-income men Alternative stories? The absence of low-income fathers in qualitative research Researching the family participation of men in low-income contexts A new direction for debate and an overview of the book 2 Low-income fatherhoods in historical and political context Histories of low-income fatherhood: culture versus conduct The hyper-visibility of low-income fathers in contemporary social policy and welfare contexts Austerity Britain: absent fathers, deprived localities The (in)visibility of low-income fathers in social sciences research Marginalisation processes and fathering practices Men and contemporary family poverty Concluding remarks 3 Theorising men’s participation in low-income families Qualitative longitudinal research: thinking dynamically Families, caring masculinities and low-income life: a conceptual framework Family dynamics, diversity and social change Changing gender relations Theorising masculinities and fatherhoods in transition Masculinities and the doing of kinship Theorising low-income family life and local ties Concluding remarks 4 Supporting men in low-income contexts: practitioner observations Low-income family interdependencies on services Researching with service providers and support professionals A brief note on the city as context Formal agencies Voluntary and third sector agencies Knowledge-exchange workshop Concluding remarks 5 Men’s caring arrangements and family trajectories Diverse caring arrangements Young fathers Lone-father caring arrangements Social fathering and wider familial care practices Non-resident arrangements Lone, mid-life fatherhood Older male carers and grandfathers Concluding remarks 6 Familial economic circumstances and provisioning practices Reconciling earning and caring Managing ‘shocks’, and strategies for getting by Welfare trajectories and processes Child maintenance policy and processes Securing appropriate housing Anticipated welfare futures Concluding remarks 7 Men’s family participation in low-income urban neighbourhoods A contextual description of the locality Immersion in life at the community centre Capturing locality-based resources: walking photovoice Concluding remarks 8 Conclusion: Men’s family participation in low-income contexts The contributions of MPLC The dynamics of men’s family lives: conceptualising family participation The deprivations of context Supporting men as fathers and carers Ongoing and future research Men are committed to the people in their families and value their roles as fathers and grandfathers As well as being fathers and grandfathers, men also look out for each other in their localities as uncles and brothers However, over time, men may be unable to fulfil their care responsibilities because of continuing constraints on their resources Geography, relationships with partners and a lack of state support Men are not just ‘absent’ dads. They make decisions about their responsibilities in relation to their resources and within complex family circumstances The effects of care responsibilities and constraint on men’s well being; emotional responses Appendix A: Participant information Appendix B: ‘Existing evidence’ document shared at the knowledge-exchange workshop Men, Poverty and Lifetimes of Care Men are committed to the people in their families and value their roles as fathers and grandfathers As well as being fathers and grandfathers, men also look out for each other in their localities as uncles and brothers However, over time, men may be unable to fulfil their care responsibilities because of continuing constraints on their resources Geography, relationships with partners and a lack of state support Men are not just ‘absent’ dads. They make decisions about their responsibilities in relation to their resources and within complex family circumstances The effects of care responsibilities and constraint on men’s well being; emotional responses Notes References Index Back Cover