Introduction

Each chapter of this book begins with the story of an individual father, and then places fathering in the broader contexts of community, culture and country. As a whole, this volume illustrates that contemporary young men are developing new modes of fathering that are more diverse and complicated than in the past, and that interest in and research on fathers has spread worldwide. Many readers may be surprised by the magnitude of the changes that have taken place and may be similarly unaware of the impediments to change, especially the restraining influences of “tradition” discussed by so many of the contributors.