Various Aspects of Fatherhood from a Gender Point of View: A Country Comparison - Austria, Germany, Finland, Hungary and Italy

Mariam Irene Tazi-Preve, Universität Wien
Jürgen Dorbritz, Federal Institute for Population Research, Germany

In the context of changing gender relations and current low birth-rates in Europe, this paper emphasises the fathers’ contribution to family work. We compare five countries with different political and gender-specific backgrounds. The portrayals are based on the data in the Population Policy Acceptance Study. Research was addressed 1) changes in gender roles, 2) the influence of fathers on female labour participation and 3) fathers' influence on female attitudes towards desired fertility. The analyses are guided by the feministic hypothesis, according to which the responsibility of women during the reproductive field is decisive for their involvement in the labour market. The study is carried out by using univariate and multivariate statistics. The results show that the theory of the advance of the New Father is only partly true. Furthermore the presence of fathers in the family strengthens the traditional division of roles. Particularly low desired fertility is shown for men in the German-speaking area.