Re-envisioning Why Fathers Matter Beyond the Gender Binary: A Case for Gay Fathers

Abstract

Comments on the chapter by Ronald Mincy et al. (see record 2016-01108-008). Research on how the effects of fathering differ from those of mothering is an important one that spans across disciplines and decades. Yet, the underlying assumption driving this research question—that we can and should differentiate the effects of fathering and mothering in two-parent heterosexual households—is an assumption I bring into question. In particular, I question the heteronormative logic underlying the idea that motherhood and fatherhood have distinct effects, responding not only to the work of Mincy et al. but also to the broader fields of parenthood and child well-being studies. In this chapter, I first offer a gendered perspective to complicate the idea of fatherhood and motherhood as distinct constructs. Second, I revise Mincy et al.'s research question with a case study of how fathers might matter in same-sex families. Third, I make a case for conceptualizing the 'long arm of parenthood,' a term which calls attention to the ways early life course parenthood has cumulative consequences for later-life parenthood and likely influences the well-being of both children and parents. My explicit aim is to raise questions for researchers and spark ideas for innovative work. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)