Mr Mom : the androgynous father

Fathering is a behaviour that has existed as long as humankind. While the biological core of parenting remained unchanged throughout history, the social limits and antecedents of parenting have evolved, and been modified over the centuries. This thesis is a theoretical consideration of a modern style of fathering - that of androgynous fatherhood. The androgynous father is one who embodies both masculine and feminine characteristics and behaviours and who is highly involved in the parenting process. The purpose of the discussion is to illustrate the advantages an androgynous father offers to parents and children, over traditional or sharing father figures, and to demonstrate the capability of fathers to be more effective in parenting. This is achieved through an examination of the social nature of parenting and through a disputation concerning the assumed biological determinants of fathering or mothering behaviour. Evidence from primary caregiving fathers and cross cultural research are included in this examination. It is amply illustrated that the father is capable of adopting feminine characteristics and the behaviours of the androgynous father. In addition, androgynous fathering is applied to attachment to demonstrate the practical significance androgynous fathering offers. It is concluded that androgynous fathering is advantageous in encompassing masculine and feminine characteristics, and fits in well with the evolving family that disregards traditional sex roles