Qualitative Study of Stay-At-Home Fathers
This qualitative study examined 25 stay-at-home fathers (SAHFs) and their lived experiences through the perspective of caring masculinities. Results from semi-structured telephone interviews demonstrate that the majority of SAHFs voluntarily opted to be full-time caregivers, named financial reasons for becoming a SAHF, reported high levels of satisfaction in caring for their children, and experienced little change in their relationship with their spouse or partner. SAHFs also reported different ways of interpreting traditional masculinity, constructing alternative masculinity, and navigating the challenges of their new masculinity. Most importantly, SAHFs reported incorporating aspects of masculine and feminine qualities to develop a new masculine identity that best supports their caregiving role and experiences. In addition, SAHFs identified social isolation and mixed reactions from people as the two main challenges against constructing and maintaining their new masculinity; they also reported support from multiple social networks as a means to successfully overcoming such challenges. The results are further discussed in the context of the caring masculinities framework and suggestions are provided for future research.
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PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
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Shawna J. Lee
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COLLABORATOR
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Joyce Lee
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