The 'Involved Fatherhood' Determinants in Cross-Country Analysis: the Role of Value Orientations and Structural Constraints

The research investigates one dimension of fatherhood which is of great importance for social policy – men’s childcare involvement. The level father’s involvement differs not only between individuals but also among countries. So, it was supposed that men’s childcare behavior might be better understood when placing it into broader social context. The goal was to outline the determinants of father’s involvement. The hierarchical linear model was applied to consider individual as well as institutional contribution into involvement variability. The empirical base of our research was the data on 26 countries from ISSP-2012. Generally, the time fathers devote to childcare differs depending on structural and value determinants of both levels. On the individual level, significant influence has variables reflecting the patterns of role distribution inside the household. Woman’s contribution into childcare and housework, her employment, man’s own level of participation in both spheres matter the most. Meanwhile, the religiosity and positive attitude to woman’s employment increase father’s involvement. Concerning country level, a modified Esping-Andersen’s typology was confirmed: two regimes have a significant effect– Liberal corresponds to higher involvement, East European – lower one. At the same time, several other contextual indicators analyzed also have an effect. The level of women’s employment and the share of male teachers in primary school correspond to higher level of involvement while the prevalence of traditional attitudes reduces this participation. Al in all, father’s involvement might be explained in a gender-neutral logic as the opposition of constraints and possibilities. Nevertheless, gender attitudes and orientations have a potential to change the situation. And so long as the employment is considered to be primarily man’s sphere, the abilities to increase his involvement are rather limited.