How involved are involved fathers in hungary? exploring caring masculinities in a post-socialist context

Abstract

This study examines what can enable or constrain Hungarian fathers to be actively involved in care through analysing interviews by applying Hanlon's approach to caring masculinities as valued identities for men and Dermott's concept of intimate fathering. The empirical base of this qualitative study - the first of its kind in Hungary - is a collection of 55 semi-structured in-depth interviews. Several interrelated factors were shown as potentially enabling or constraining men's active engagement in their paternal role, including work- and work-life balance-related factors, practical cost-benefit calculations, quality of life concerns, childhood socialisation patterns and attitudes towards the gendered parenting models of one's own parents.