ABSTRACT
This chapter will explore the special, and perhaps different, role that fathers and mothers are perceived to have in the lives of their children. It will question whether they might impact on their child’s development in specific ways because of their gender. The chapter will also ask if there is sufficient evidence to suggest gendered differences in parenting styles. In addition, it will recognise the tension between the two competing perspectives that suggest, on the one hand, that fathers can often be sidelined and, on the other hand, that single mothers or their children should not be seen in a deficit way.
