Summary

• Summary • Introduction • Changes In Family And Society • The Myth of the ``New Father" • From Male to Father -  Connecting With Men

The role of the father has been limited traditionally to the sole dimension of provider/protector. It does not withstand well societal and family pressures relative to the relationships between spouses, to working mothers, to a decrease in the number of children, to the precariousness of marital unions, and to the resulting upheaval of social values. Society, this situation translates into accepting as normal the absence of fathers and into setting in place cultural standards where the father's role does not seem necessary anymore. It is estimated, for example, that with the explosion of out-of-wedlock births and the increase in the divorce rate, up to 60% of today's children will spend part of their childhood apart from their biological father.

By positioning father involvement in the Population Health Approach as a supportive condition for Healthy Child Development, this study allows a better understanding of the impact of father involvement on, for example: the development of a child's cognitive abilities, social skills, sexual identity, the prevention of juvenile delinquency, violence, and teen pregnancies. Because of the urgency of the situation, men must abandon their wait-and-see attitude regarding the recognition of their paternal role. Cornered between a lack of modeling due to the absence of their own father and the idealistic social model of the "new father," they must very soon be given an opportunity to have their say in the definition of the various dimensions of father involvement. They must also face responsibility for the translation of their values and beliefs into concrete behavior on a "child caring" level.

These various findings prove the importance of creating a culture that includes father involvement, where men assume a leadership role, with the support of their family/spouse, of service providers, and of the community. At the level of the family, and specifically the couple, discussions must take place regarding the necessity of both parents sharing a psycho affective relationship with the child. Service agencies must adjust to the reality that men are socialized to consider all requests for help as admissions of defeat, helplessness, or loss of control. Service agencies must free themselves of the prejudices and the organizational obstacles that often confine father involvement to a secondary level. Finally, the community must enhance the status of father involvement and take part in providing committed and competent paternal models. Father involvement is founded on a direct and genuine father-child relationship, which expresses itself in "child caring." It is a specific cultural passing on which fosters a healthy child development and transition to adulthood.

The description of risk factors and support factors for father involvement, the definition of its modes of expression, and the analysis of existing programs from the point of view of their conditions of success will encourage the development for the communities of Eastern Ontario of strategies and programs for father involvement. This approach must absolutely begin with the fathers, involve their networks, and be backed by their acknowledged leaders. It must cover an array of factors that can influence father involvement on a community scale and must not lend itself to only one factor, such as a course on parental competency for fathers. The curriculum must respect masculine values, be oriented towards action, and plan an early intervention in the father's life. A feeling of parental competence contributes greatly to the adaptation to the parental role and to the creation of a strong attachment bond between fathers and their children. The sensitization of service providers and other professionals, and the establishment of social marketing strategies are the two pillars on which father involvement programs will find support.

This study concludes with the importance of integrating the concept of father involvement into existing programs for healthy child development, at provincial and federal levels. Parenting supposes the necessary co-operation of father and mother, within a variety of contemporary family situations, for the well-being of the child.
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Introduction
This is a short report based on an analysis of current literature. Programs for Healthy Child Development neglect the concept of father involvement. However, the literature presents syntheses, background articles, experiences, experts, and pioneers whose work we will feature.

This work is based mainly on the research of Germain Dulac, Dominique Ararna, and Denyse Cote', whose active role is much appreciated. The writings of Canfield, Turcotte, Sirois included in the References also have influenced this document.

This presentation strives to use the literature review to guide the development of programs that promote father involvement in Eastern Ontario rural communities.

We hope we have met this challenge while noting the work of pioneers.
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1. Fatherhood - the Context

1.1 Psycho-sociological Data

1. 1. 1 Changes in Family and Society
Great social upheavals have disturbed traditional family values and force us to reconsider our understanding of father involvement and of the role of the father. Traditionally, the father provided for the material needs of his family, and he protected and defended it. The father was seen as the head of the family and as the one who held power and authority. They expected him to pass on values to his children, to teach right from wrong, and to ensure order and discipline in the family. They did not expect affective involvement of the father and this was even considered inappropriate, especially with his daughters. A father's performance was not judged by the extent of his involvement with his children, but by the image his family projected, as measured by material possessions and well-behaved children.

Industrialization and feminism are two of the most important among social changes that have eroded the traditional patriarchal power structure where a man dominated his family. Authors like Dulac note that changes in the way fatherhood is exercised are caused by the transformation of relationships between spouses, by the presence of mothers in the workplace, by a decrease in the number of children, by marital instability, and by the fragility of couple relationships. Some insist that financial pressures have contributed to lessen the role of the father, who has to work harder for longer hours.

Canfield highlights the increase of dependencies of all kind (drugs, alcohol) and sexual irresponsibility. He also stresses more fundamental reasons for the disintegration of the role of the father: a lack of vision for the future, a loss of the sense of priorities (work vs family), a loss of the sense of duty and dedication, a loss of the sense of community, and an increase of individualism that does not encourage men to talk to each other about their role as fathers.

What is the extent of the impact of social and family changes on the role of the father? According to Blankenhom, in the United States the number of children living with their biological father has moved down from 82.4% in 1960 to 61.7% in 1990. One can estimate that with the explosion of the number of children born out of wedlock and the high rate of divorce, up to 60% of today's children will live part of their childhood away form their biological father. A 1994 survey questioning 1600 adult males reveals that 50% of these men considered that their father had been emotionally absent during their childhood.

"Tonight about 40 percent (25% in Canada) of American children will go to sleep in homes in which their fathers do not live. Never before have so many children grown up without knowing what it means to have a father." (Blankenhom)

Though pressed by a need for action, we must avoid creating a mythical image of the father as defined by social and family needs, but not rooted in the reality of manhood.
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1.1.2 The Myth of the "New Father"
The transition from the idea of the father as economic provider to that of the father as provider of love and affection, aware of his feelings and able to express them, in tune with his family responsibilities, has been quick at the level of the images, symbols and values that the media convey.

In his review of the literature, Sirois presents a synthesis of the concept of the "new father," as presented by various writers: he teaches, disciplines, loves his children, dispenses warmth and affection, cares physically for the newborn, helps with household tasks, gets involved with nursery and school, plays with the child, is tolerant, is concerned with the well-being of his child, is generally available to his children, and plays an important role in the socialization process.

Stressing the gap separating socially accepted language, ideals, ideas, and reality itself is useless. Fathers today are in demand for their economic and affective security. The ideal and the need to change the role of the father that society proclaims did not emanate from the fathers, but was caused by feminism. According to Sirois, in his perception of his role, the father is influenced by what society expects of him, by what he learned of the role of father as a child, and by what his family expects of him regarding a fair sharing of parental responsibilities. Society and the media have much to say about the ideal father, but very few concrete and realistic models of committed and competent fathers are presented. They often portray fathers as inept and ridiculous. As for learning by example, most present-day fathers, as shown by statistics, grew up with an absentee father, so they lacked a paternal model. Regarding family expectations, there is also a great gap between expectation and reality, between words and deeds. Men are expected to be fatherly, but how does this translate into reality? Before birth, the perception that fathers have of their role is full of positive images nurtured by the social image of the "new father." These images dissipate rapidly over the two years following birth. They fail to survive the difficulties of concrete involvement and affective experiences. The difference between language based on an ideal and deeply ingrained attitudes is the source of many marital tensions and breakups.

According to Bleton, we a need to adjust the notion of "new father" to a more realistic level, by recognizing that there is presently little change in the behavior of fathers, and by helping fathers accept responsibility for their lack of commitment. Present day fathers have to position themselves between society's ideal of the "new father" and the model presented by their absent father (Dulac). There is a clash between social values and personal values regarding fatherhood.

In short, the culture of fatherhood has evolved, but behavior has not followed. if one is not careful, the myth of the "new father" can be demotivating, because it is not based on the daily experience of fathers and men. This state of affairs is related to the men's lack of words to discuss fatherhood. Men need to come out of their isolation to discuss the role of fathers. Service providers, professionals, and community leaders must encourage such exchanges. But they must be able to come in contact with these men, and meet with them. The redefinition of fatherhood must take root in contact with, and with the reappraisal of manhood. In order for fathers to find their voices, there is a need to set up programs and services that connect with men.
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1.1.3 From Male to Father - Connecting with Men
The planning and implementation of programs that will promote and support father involvement will take root only in the reality of male traits. Many authors have studied this subject. We will follow the works and reflections of Dulac on the social context of men's requests for help.

Let us stress certain aspects of masculinity that pertain to our theme: difficulty in perceiving problems and their symptoms, fear of intimacy, difficulty in revealing negative aspects of their personality, difficulty in self-disclosure for fear of rejection by their peers, mistrust of others, in conjunction with a mode of relating based on competition. Man's behavior does not correspond to cultural norms regarding suffering and disease: see his difficulty in weeping, his social withdrawal, his lower self-esteem, his sense of failure, his lack of motivation (Dulac). This author explains how hard it is for professionals working with men to detect masculine signals that are requests for help. For example, they often interpret a blunt way of requesting help as aggressive behavior or an abuse of power, rather than as a cry for help.

Such masculine traits and behaviors are grounded in a socialization process and a definition of male roles that do not favor expressions of inner life, but foster competence, success, self-realization, competition, mistrust of others, aggressiveness, boldness, rashness, and independence rather than interdependence (Dulac). Because of this, men often live their lives as "emotional illiterates" (Dulac), directing their emotions towards two main modes of expressions: anger or action (I-Ester, Smith, and Borgers).

One cannot hope to sum up in a few sentences the condition of man as male. However, we hope to have shown that it is important to ground programs for fathers in the realization that men have problems recognizing critical situations and sharing about them. By defining a request for help as any communication regarding a problem or an anxiety-producing event that is an attempt to obtain support, advice or assistance in a time of distress Dulac establishes plainly the difficulties that will interfere with the promotion and carrying out of programs for father involvement. How does one build with men the trust needed to establish the bonds of co-operation and interdependence that are necessary in order to discuss and experience together the inherent difficulties of fatherhood, without awakening the feelings of helplessness, loss of control and failure that result from a socialization process that was performance and competition-oriented?
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