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Representations of the ‘single father’ in internet-based forum discussions
Umeå University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Education.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-8399-0983
2018 (English)Conference paper, Oral presentation only (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Well-functioning parenting is often described in terms similar to the ideal of ‘intensive motherhood’ and the ability to be child-centred, emotionally and practically engaged and knowledgeable about child-health issues (Hays, 1996). This parenting ideal has increasingly become associated also with men; so-called involved fatherhood is perceived as an emerging ideal in Sweden, also for single fathers. This might be one of the reasons why the number of Swedish children living with both their mother and father after a separation (joint residential custody) has increased from 1% to 35% since the mid-1980s (SCB, 2014). The Swedish ‘single father’ has therefore become a more common phenomenon, sometimes described as a ‘super dad’ but also somewhat of a ‘dilf’ - desirable to date since he is presumed to be ‘handy’, ‘serious’ and ‘able to show his soft sides’, (Mötesplatsen, u.å.). However, the single father is also represented as a depressed, lonely and insufficient man. The aim of this project is to analyse representations of the single father in internet-based forum discussions, and how different ideals of single fatherhood, for example, involved fatherhood are negotiated among the forum participants. The material is selected from a website focussing on family life and parenthood, by searching the specific forum dealing with ‘fatherhood’ for entries related to ‘the single father’ (in Swedish: singelpappa and ensamstående pappa). The discussions are about, for example, how to get in contact with other single fathers; how fathers long for their children; how to make children feel comfortable and happy in a new home with a newly separated father; if a single father is desirable to women.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2018.
Keywords [en]
single fathers, internet-based forum discussions, representations
National Category
Pedagogy
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-153159OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-153159DiVA, id: diva2:1261500
Conference
Close Relations: a multi- and interdisciplinary conference on critical family and kinship studies, Uppsala University, Sweden, October 24-26, 2018
Available from: 2018-11-07 Created: 2018-11-07 Last updated: 2020-03-05Bibliographically approved

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Widding, Ulrika

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CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

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Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
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  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
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  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
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Output format
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  • asciidoc
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