Fathers' views on family and work after COVID-19 lockdowns

What is it about?

The daily reality for many fathers is that they contribute less to household and childcare tasks than mothers and are employed in workplaces which reward overwork. The COVID-19 pandemic caused sudden complex disruption to the established patterns of work and home life of many families, but it was not a uniformly negative experience. We asked 15 Australian fathers about the impact of lockdown experiences on their relationship with their children and family-work life balance. Despite the stressors, fathers valued the opportunity to spend more time with their children. They also identified how the desire to be active and present for their children had been hindered by the attitudes of their workplace, the perception of themselves as “assisting” in the household, and the polarizing demands of being a father. One year on from their lockdown experience, some fathers had actioned a newly desired change to more flexible working arrangements.

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Photo by Caroline Hernandez on Unsplash

Photo by Caroline Hernandez on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Despite changing attitudes to father involvement in caregiving, the amount of time spent engaging in care and leisure activities with children remains consistently lower for many fathers compared with mothers. While many companies offer flexibility in working and work-life policies, informal barriers continue to restrict many fathers’ ability to successfully combine employment and family responsibilities. During COVID-19 lockdowns, both mothers and fathers experienced disruptions to childcare and jobs, but little is known about the impact on men’s views of their relationship with their children and family-work life balance. Our study addresses whether lockdown experiences provided a catalyst for change for fathers in homes and in workplaces.

Perspectives