“New Fathers” Care?! Evidence from an Interview Study with Fathers, Grandfathers and Great-Grandfathers in Germany and Poland

Currently, the international literature on fatherhood focuses on ‘new fatherhood’ and highlights the increasing involvement of fathers in raising children and the transition of masculine social patterns towards greater involvement in care as well as greater emotional involvement which is inherently associated with changes towards a caring masculinity (Elliott 2015) as well as in masculine emotionality (Bosoni et al. 2019). This transition takes place in parallel with abandoning patriarchal social patterns and it occurs in the context of a still dominant hegemonic masculinity (Connell 1987). The multifactorial background of changes in the role of fathers is well presented in e.g. Scandinavian studies that demonstrate how welfare policies, feminist culture as well as educational strategies impact fatherhood.

In our project, we explore modern fatherhood as a sphere of culture and practices in the context of intergenerational as well as intercultural continuity and change. We aim to establish which patterns are passed onto the next generations of men, which patterns remain constant, and which patterns change in the transmission process. Therefore, we will examine three generations of men in family lines – great-grandfathers, grandfathers and fathers. The focus lies on their experience of fatherhood, be it as father or as a son of a father. We would like to compare data collected in two countries: Poland and Germany.

First results of the intergenerational comparison support current state of the art that fatherhood is shaped largely by surrounding contexts such as the partnership, the fathers’ employment conditions as well as experiences with their own fathers. The main task of the intercultural comparison will then be to identify fatherhood concepts and practices in Germany and Poland at different historical moments. We will ask how they differ and resemble and if/how they depend on the social and political conditions of each generation.