Since we live in the age when anything can be deemed as “offensive” or “detrimental” to something which progressives hold dear — feminism, gender/race identities, class structure — it should come as no surprise that a Fresno State professor has discovered a down side to being a responsible dad.
Jennifer Randles’ paper “’Manning Up’ to be a Good Father: Hybrid Fatherhood, Masculinity, and U.S. Responsible Fatherhood Policy” from the journal Gender & Society claims federal programs which are designed to “responsible fatherhood” actually perpetuate “patriarchy, gender norms” and that dreaded “hegemonic masculinity.”
This certainly makes sense, for as PJ Media’s Toni Airaksinen reports, Randles’ goal was “to assess the feminist implications” of these fatherhood programs.
Though the government says “involved fathers provide practical support in raising children,” and that “children with involved loving fathers are more likely to do well in school, have healthy self-esteem, and exhibit empathy,” Randles ponders the negatives:
“How can a seemingly progressive revision of fatherhood promoting men’s emotional engagement with children operate as a discursive mechanism for the reproduction of gender, race, and class inequalities?”
[T]hese programs “reinforce patriarchal ideology” by encouraging “hybrid masculinity,” which encourages low-income fathers to be “emotionally engaged,” and perpetuates the myth that mothers “cannot compensate” for the lack of a father.
These programs aim to “reshape men’s gender identities in line with a type of hegemonic masculinity focused on well-paid work and family breadwinning,” she laments, claiming that they “legitimate patriarchal power.”
By teaching men to “man up,” not repress their feelings, and avoid “absentee” fatherhood, these programs promote a “hybridized gender identity” that ultimately does nothing to challenge the patriarchal status quo, Randles writes.
“This strategy reaffirms essentialist ideas that fathers are valuable parents because they are men and legitimates patriarchal ideologies,” she writes, adding that they perpetuate “patriarchy by concealing the power of privileged men and devaluing women.”
Randles concludes the programs are “counterproductive” and advocates teaching that children benefit from “multiple caregivers of any gender” who can meet their myriad needs.
Similar research by Randles includes “Repackaging the ‘Package Deal’: Promoting Marriage for Low-Income Families by Targeting Paternal Identity and Reframing Marital Masculinity,” “Leaning In and Letting Go: Feminist Tools for Valuing Non-Work,” and “Toward a Feminist Ethnography of Feminist Ethnography: A Response.”
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