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Qualitative Study of Stay-At-Home Fathers 

father playing with infant on bed
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. 

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Shawna J. Lee 
COLLABORATOR
Joyce Lee
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
​AND PRESENTATIONS
  • Lee, J.Y., & Lee, S.J. (2016). Caring is masculine: Stay-at-home fathers and masculine identity. Psychology of Men & Masculinity.
  • ​Lee, J., & Lee, S.J. (2016, March). Caring is masculine: A qualitative study of stay-at-home fathers. Accepted for oral presentation at the annual meeting of the American Men’s Studies Association (AMSA), Ann Arbor, MI. 
<
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EMAIL

shawnal@umich.edu

Phone

734-763-6565

ADDRESS

University of Michigan
School of Social Work
1080 S. University
Ann Arbor, MI 48109

connection

​Dr. Shawna J. Lee is Director of the Parenting in Context Research Lab, which operates as a part of the University of Michigan School of Social Work.
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​​© 2022 by the Regents of the University of Michigan. Do not utilize or distribute any materials found on this website without prior approval from the University of Michigan School of Social Work. For permissions or questions, please call the University of Michigan School of Social Work at 734-763-6565, or email us at parentingincontext@umich.edu.
  • Home
  • Research Projects
    • Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey Studies
    • Learn About the Stress and Parenting During a Pandemic
    • Transactional Processes Supporting Father Involvement
    • Healthy Start Engaged Father Program >
      • Engaged Father Toolkit
    • DadTime Mobile App Project
    • Men's Health, Fatherhood, and Relationships Study
    • Completed: Parental Physical Punishment
    • Completed: Text4Dad
    • Completed: Fathers and Risk for Child Maltreatment
    • Completed: CBPR Parenting Support for Fathers
    • Completed: mDad (Mobile Device Assisted Dad)
    • Completed: Stay-at-home Fathers
    • Completed: Positive Tech
  • Team
  • Publications
  • News & Events
    • Events
    • Recent Activities
    • Media
  • Collaborators