Adhering to the conventional sequence: men’s accounts of first-time fatherhood

This article considers the timing of the transition to first-time fatherhood and its position in the life course. Based on semi-structured interviews with thirty expectant fathers, I explore their experiences of timing, such as notions of ‘right time’ and perceptions of necessary pre-requisites to fatherhood. Subsequently I consider off-time transitions and the impact this has on the men’s experience of fatherhood. Whilst the majority of men in the sample appeared to follow a standardised life course trajectory, those who did not generally experienced the transition to parenthood as more problematic. Therefore I suggest that timing in relation to a standardised life course trajectory has a significant impact on how transitions are experienced, highlighting how foregrounding aspects of temporality in research can offer greater insight into participants’ life experiences