Fatherhood in Five Nordic Countries: Policies and Practices

The paper provides an account of contemporary policies and practices of fatherhood in the five Nordic countries, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.  The Nordic countries are known for their long term emphasis on gender equality both in labour market as in family live, often referred to as the dual earner and dual carer model. The paper investigates the policies set out to support fathers in caring for their children and how they have contributed to shaping the practices of fathers in diversity of family settings.  The paper asks how fatherhood is shaped in interaction between policies, cultures and the daily practices of fathers- highlighting both similarities and differences within the Nordic region. The paper applies a policy analysis as well as state of the art regarding the outcome of the policies and the effects on practices of fatherhood.