ABSTRACT
More fathers than ever before attend at the birth of their child and, internationally, there is a palpable pressure on maternity and neonatal services to include and engage with fathers. It is, thus, more important than ever to understand how fathers experience reproductive and neonatal health services and to understand how fathers can be successfully accommodated in these environments alongside their partners. In this paper we advance a theoretical framework for re-thinking fatherhood and health services approaches to fatherhood based on Critical Studies on Men (CSM). We illustrate the importance of this feminist informed theoretical approach to understanding the gendered experiences of fathers in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) setting in Northern Ireland. Using a longitudinal follow-up research design, with two data collection points, a total of 39 in-depth semi-structured interviews was conducted with 21 fathers of infants admitted to the NICU between August 2008 and December 2009. The findings demonstrate: (i) how men are forging new gendered identities around the birth of their baby but, over time, acknowledge women as the primary caregivers; (ii) how social class is a key determinant of men's ability to enact hegemonic forms of 'involved fatherhood' in the NICU, and; (iii) how men also encounter resistance from their partners and health professionals in challenging a gender order which associates women with the competent care of infants. An understanding of these gendered experiences operating at both individual and structural levels is critical to leading change for the inclusion of fathers as equal parents in healthcare settings.
Subject(s)
Fathers/psychology , Gender Identity , Intensive Care, Neonatal/organization & administration , Adolescent , Adult , Cross-Sectional Studies , Fathers/statistics & numerical data , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Intensive Care Units, Neonatal , Interpersonal Relations , Male , Northern Ireland , Professional-Family Relations , Qualitative Research , Young AdultABSTRACT
Around 2,000 sick or premature infants are admitted each year to intensive care units in Northern Ireland--8.1 per cent of the live birth population. Studies show that having a premature or 'high-risk' infant is stressful for both parents, yet most research focuses on the mothers' experiences. A literature review was undertaken in preparation for a study exploring fathers' experiences of caring for an infant admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit. It identified seven papers reporting primary research on the fathers' experiences, and others in which their views were included or assumed. Among the findings were that fathers react and cope differently from mothers, and may be burdened by having to take time off work. In addition, they may not perceive themselves as the primary caregiver to their sick infant, but rather providing a supporting role.
