Fathers in Families

Book excerpt: The role of the father in a family and for his children has varied greatly throughout history. However, scientific research into fatherhood began relatively late at the end of the 1960s and early 1970s, with a strong focus on the impact of the father on child development. This book focuses on the role of the father in the contemporary two-parent heterosexual family. Of eight longitudinal studies from several Western countries, six focus on the socialization outcomes of the children, and two concentrate on parental satisfaction. Although the father is in focus, family dynamics cannot be conclusively described without a look at the mother and parental interaction. Therefore, all of the studies examine mothers and their role in the family system. Thus, the book gives a contemporary insight into the father and his role in changing family dynamics. This book was originally published as a special issue of the European Journal of Developmental Psychology.