Contemporary masculinities and transformations of fatherhood

The emergence of the term “New Fathers” in the 70s, shaped on societal ideals of gender equality, and led to transformations of masculinities. “Hegemonic masculinities” (Connell 1995), now embrace the values of family investment, “care,” and gender equality. How do fathers, engaged in ideals of gender equality, and realities that are sometimes antagonistic to these ideals (“breadwinner” role, lack of family policies, etc.), shape fatherhood nowadays? Do these “caring masculinities” (Eliott 2016) reconfigure “hegemonic masculinities”? More broadly, what are the new parental identities at work?

Research to understand the emergence of this "care-oriented masculinity" (Klint 2003) has focused on fathers from the “white middle class,” among which some make the choice of taking paternity leave or being stay-at-home dads (Chatot 2021), in order to subvert dominant masculinities and aspire to an egalitarian family dynamic. However, fewer research has been conducted on the moment of entry into fatherhood, during the first days following the birth of the child. Moreover, there is also a lack of research, focusing on the plurality of masculinities, such on racialized fathers; fathers belonging to the “working-class”, migrant fathers, or GBTQ+ fathers, among others. This workshop aims at thinking about masculinities in relation to fatherhood, in temporalities that have been less explored until now (preconception, pregnancy, birth and postpartum), and/or in an intersectional approach, integrating marginalized masculinities.

Avec la participation de :

• Matthias Luterbach (University of Basel),

• Jean-Marie Le Goff (University of Lausanne),

• Julie Landour (University Paris Dauphine),

• Pascal Barbier (University Paris Panthéon Sorbonne),

• Carole Ammann (ETH Zurich),

• Muriel Degen (University of Basel).