What’s next for Australian fathers? In this episode, we look at the future of fatherhood. So far, one thing all of our guests seem to agree on is that, for many families, current arrangements aren't working as well as they could. Expectations on men as fathers are expanding, but without much of a lessening of demands from employers. External factors, like climate change, will see an escalation of disasters that will put additional pressures on families. As people have children later, these demographic shifts mean that families will be less likely to be able to depend on grandparents to help out. In short, policies, practices and norms need to continue to evolve to support the needs of working dads and their families and move us towards more equal opportunities to share care, access more flexible work, and achieve greater family wellbeing.

Our guests in this episode are Professor Leah Ruppanner, Dr Carla Pascoe Leahy and Associate Professor Lee Gettler.

What’s next for Australian fathers? In this episode, we look at the future of fatherhood. So far, one thing all of our guests seem to agree on is that, for many families, current arrangements aren't working as well as they could. Expectations on men as fathers are expanding, but without much of a lessening of demands from employers. External factors, like climate change, will see an escalation of disasters that will put additional pressures on families. As people have children later, these demographic shifts mean that families will be less likely to be able to depend on grandparents to help out. In short, policies, practices and norms need to continue to evolve to support the needs of working dads and their families and move us towards more equal opportunities to share care, access more flexible work, and achieve greater family wellbeing.
Our guests in this episode are Professor Leah Ruppanner, Dr Carla Pascoe Leahy and Associate Professor Lee Gettler.

Welcome to Working Fathers, a podcast about dads, families and work. This podcast looks at the many different roles fathers play in contemporary Australian families and society – and how policy can better recognise, value and support fatherhood. We look at the rewards and transformations of fatherhood, the challenges of balancing the demands of work and family, and the sometimes competing demands of being a good father and a good worker. We also explore how policies and practices, from tax law to household chores, continue to shape the daily lives of working fathers and their families. With the help of experts from Australia and overseas, we look at why fathers’ primary role is still breadwinning, how fatherhood has evolved over time, what it might look in the future, and why policies and practices that open up greater choices for working fathers and their families are the key to enhanced wellbeing, a more gender equal society, and fairer workplaces.

Welcome to Working Fathers, a podcast about dads, families and work. This podcast looks at the many different roles fathers play in contemporary Australian families and society – and how policy can better recognise, value and support fatherhood. We look at the rewards and transformations of fatherhood, the challenges of balancing the demands of work and family, and the sometimes competing demands of being a good father and a good worker. We also explore how policies and practices, from tax law to household chores, continue to shape the daily lives of working fathers and their families. With the help of experts from Australia and overseas, we look at why fathers’ primary role is still breadwinning, how fatherhood has evolved over time, what it might look in the future, and why policies and practices that open up greater choices for working fathers and their families are the key to enhanced wellbeing, a more gender equal society, and fairer workplaces.

Working Fathers

Episode 5: What’s next?

In this episode, we look at more of the pressures that prevent fathers from being active and equal caregivers in their children's lives. In particular, we look at the gender norms that dictate what it means to be a good man, and the social norms that dictate what it means to be a good worker – and ask what this means for fathers’ capacity to be more active caregivers in their children’s lives. We also look at the experiences of men who defy these norms, the policies that can help shift them, as well as some of the potential benefits of change for dads, partners and families.

Our guests in this episode are Dr Ashlee Borgkvist, Matt Tyler and Associate Professor Linda Barclay.

In this episode, we look at more of the pressures that prevent fathers from being active and equal caregivers in their children's lives. In particular, we look at the gender norms that dictate what it means to be a good man, and the social norms that dictate what it means to be a good worker – and ask what this means for fathers’ capacity to be more active caregivers in their children’s lives. We also look at the experiences of men who defy these norms, the policies that can help shift them, as well as some of the potential benefits of change for dads, partners and families.
Our guests in this episode are Dr Ashlee Borgkvist, Matt Tyler and Associate Professor Linda Barclay.

Episode 4: Give dads a break

How much freedom do fathers have? Do fathers have real choices when it comes to decisions about how to divide their time between paid work and caring for the kids at home? And where do government and organisational policies fit in? One of the major societal changes of the past century has been the rise of female employment, particularly in the peak child rearing.  But over the same period, there has been much less change in men's employment rates. Why hasn't the rise in women's employment been accompanied by a drop in men's employment? And why is part time work still so much less common among men than it is among women? One answer is that the patterns we're seeing here are just the product of free choices. But choices are never made in a vacuum, and freedom of choice comes in degrees. In this episode, we look at the laws, policies, and organisational practices that constrain dads’ choices.

Our guests in this episode are Professor Miranda Stewart and Professor Heejung Chung.

How much freedom do fathers have? Do fathers have real choices when it comes to decisions about how to divide their time between paid work and caring for the kids at home? And where do government and organisational policies fit in? One of the major societal changes of the past century has been the rise of female employment, particularly in the peak child rearing.  But over the same period, there has been much less change in men's employment rates. Why hasn't the rise in women's employment been accompanied by a drop in men's employment? And why is part time work still so much less common among men than it is among women? One answer is that the patterns we're seeing here are just the product of free choices. But choices are never made in a vacuum, and freedom of choice comes in degrees. In this episode, we look at the laws, policies, and organisational practices that constrain dads’ choices.
Our guests in this episode are Professor Miranda Stewart and Professor Heejung Chung.

Episode 3: Are fathers free?

The family as an institution has changed significantly across time and place. How people divide labour within and beyond the family unit has been in flux throughout human history. The current model of fatherhood in many Western nations, including Australia, is a modified version of what we usually call the breadwinner model, where one parent is designated the primary earner and the other the primary carer. But where did this model of the family come from? And why is it so entrenched? Despite rapid gains in social and gender equality throughout the 20th, and into the 21st centuries, this family model has stuck around. In this episode, we discover what we can learn from the history of fatherhood. How did we get to where we are today? And where exactly is that? We'll dive into the recipe of complex sociological, cultural, political, and economic forces shaping fatherhood, and the historical notion of the male breadwinner and consider where policy might fit in.

Our guests in this episode are Dr Kate Murphy, Dr Carla Pascoe Leahy and Associate Professor Lee Gettler.

The family as an institution has changed significantly across time and place. How people divide labour within and beyond the family unit has been in flux throughout human history. The current model of fatherhood in many Western nations, including Australia, is a modified version of what we usually call the breadwinner model, where one parent is designated the primary earner and the other the primary carer. But where did this model of the family come from? And why is it so entrenched? Despite rapid gains in social and gender equality throughout the 20th, and into the 21st centuries, this family model has stuck around. In this episode, we discover what we can learn from the history of fatherhood. How did we get to where we are today? And where exactly is that? We'll dive into the recipe of complex sociological, cultural, political, and economic forces shaping fatherhood, and the historical notion of the male breadwinner and consider where policy might fit in.
Our guests in this episode are Dr Kate Murphy, Dr Carla Pascoe Leahy and Associate Professor Lee Gettler.

Episode 5: What’s next?

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