Fatherhood across Generations in Polish, Irish and White British Families, 1920-2010

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.This is a qualitative data collection. Patterns of migration and changing gender relations are reshaping fatherhood across family and historical generations. This is a study of two under researched groups who migrated in different historical periods - first generation Polish families and second generation Irish families. It also includes white British families. This comparative study focuses on fatherhood in 30 chains of biologically related men: grandfathers who form the oldest generation, fathers who form the middle generation, and sons aged 5 to 18 who form the youngest generation. The data collection addresses a number of key research questions: how do men from different generations and 'ethnic' groups understand fatherhood and 'do' fathering?how is fatherhood changing? what are the influences of migration on fatherhood? how is fatherhood transmitted, what is transmitted intergenerationally, and through which processes? The data collection thereby contributes to theoretical debates about fatherhood and family processes, and to policy concerns about migration and, in the context of increased longevity, intergenerational transfers and relations. The study adopts a biographical approach in order to understand family history and the transmission of family memory and to take account of space, historical time, life course time and current time. Further information about the project and links to publications are available on the ESRC Fathers across three family generations in Polish, Irish and UK origin white families award webpage and Institute of Education Fathers across three family generations project webpage. This data collection is under embargo until October 2014, at the request of the depositor. Main Topics:The content of the adult data set was generated via life story interviews conducted with grandfathers and their adult sons who were fathers using the Biographic Interpretive Interview method (Wengraf, 2000). This was followed by a semi-structured interview – sometimes at a second sitting with the fathers - concerning the central foci of the study including the experience of migration, relations between fathers and sons when they were growing up and in adulthood; the impact of employment on fatherhood; the experience of being a father and fathering practices; transmission from older generation and transmission to younger generation; intergenerational transfers; forms of support in the families and contact with other family members. The grandsons aged 5 to 11 were offered a range of activity sheets to help focus the discussion which they could draw on or fill in with words; and visuals which they could tick or apply stickers to. The older young people were interviewed via a semi-structured set of questions which began with a focus on their own lives