ABSTRACT
The old model of fatherhood was closer to the patriarchal image than the new one. As a boy becomes a man he is subject to powerful biological and social forces that seem hard to disentangle. Yet the bodily changes are fairly obvious, while the social pressures are almost invisible, as if they had always been there like the air we breathe. Although, manhood and fatherhood are social definitions, there are obvious biological differences between men and women which make a difference to their experiences of parenthood. If it was clear that the choices couples made would be backed up by benefits and leave arrangements then there would be much less of a crisis in family life than there appears to be. Boys can become fathers if they are encouraged to do so, but it is a political as well as a private matter.
