Post-separation fatherhood narratives in Germany and Sweden: between caring and protective masculinities

Abstract

Over the last two decades, men themselves have been dedicating more time and resources to care work within families. After parents’ separation, however, mothers are still commonly the primary caregiver. A major change though has been the introduction of shared residency models. While in Sweden shared residency is widely adopted, in Germany, however, it is only rarely practiced. Drawing on these differences, the qualitative study uses data from 12 interviews to explore and compare experiences of fatherhood after separation in Sweden and Germany. The articles applies the concepts of caring and protective masculinities to discuss the relation between masculinity and fatherhood in men’s identities as fathers. Applying both concepts aims to theorize how both notions of care and protection are entangled in practices of male care. The study discovered that, even though most fathers in the sample have shared residency models, there is great variation in how fatherhood is experienced. The relationship with the mother, legal regulations and socio-cultural norms were identified as decisive determinants for post-separation fathering. Especially sharing care and responsibilities equally after separation contributed to sharpening men’s understanding of care work.