Family men: Fatherhood and masculinity in Britain, c. 1914–1960

Journal article

Despite the continuing interest in the history of masculinity, fatherhood has been surprisingly neglected in the history of twentieth-century Britain. Nevertheless, a focus on the experiences and expectations of fathers is, as Laura King aptly demonstrates in this excellent monograph, vital for illuminating debates about ‘manliness’ as a whole. One of King’s central arguments is that ‘the shift in men’s involvement in domestic tasks largely occurred within their role as fathers’ (p. 84); she suggests, therefore, that claims for the ‘domestication of the male’ are rather misleading. Men were able to take an increasing role in childcare across this period precisely because it could be categorised as a non-domestic chore, and while this ‘family-orientated masculinity’ represented significant change, alongside the ‘intensification’ of both motherhood and fatherhood during this period, it did not eradicate a fundamentally gendered division of labour.

Authors: Tisdall, L

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Journal: Contemporary British History
• Volume: 30
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 427-428
• Publication date: 2016-12-01
• Acceptance date: 2016-06-28
• DOI: 10.1080/13619462.2016.1200803
• EISSN: 1743-7997
• ISSN: 1361-9462