Separating men from the workplace in lockdown gave them the chance to spend more time with their children, and research shows that this actually made a significant impact to the division of labour for many families. As companies now roll out hybrid working models, men’s potential return to the domestic sphere on a more permanent basis is the biggest shift for fatherhood since the industrial revolution. In this month’s everywoman Changemakers podcast episode we talk to Adrienne Burgess, Head of Research at the Fatherhood Institute, the UK’s fatherhood think tank, about how we may well look back on the past 18 months as a pivotal moment in changing the politics of both the family and gender equality.
Read a full transcript of this podcast here
SHOW NOTES
01:15 – Why is research into fatherhood so important?
02:54 – How does society or policy support or undermine the idea of positive fatherhood?
05:13 – Do you think we’ve over-fetishised the role of the mother?
08:38 – An historical view
09:56 – Would you say the work that you do is part of the fightback against this normalisation of women’s role in parenting?
11:14 – Is policy keeping pace with demand?
15:01 – What are some of the structures that push men and women into these roles?
20:20 – What effect has lockdown had on the division of labour?
23:52 – Do you feel the pandemic has in some ways been a step forward for fatherhood?
26:43 – How do we keep this momentum going?
30:07 – What is the change that you would like to see?