ABSTRACT
N ational opinion polls report that modern American men valuetheir families over their jobs, and television commercials nowuse images of “new” fathers cuddling babies to sell everything from life insurance to razor blades. At the same time, cultural images of “broken” families, single mothers, deadbeat dads, and delinquent children compete for our attention. As we enter the new millen-nium, politicians continue to talk nostalgically about reclaiming lost family values and researchers continue to define fatherhood in terms of physical presence, breadwinning, and moral leadership. And even though women continue to enter the paid labor force in record numbers, men remain helpers in the domestic realm and seem to be able to avoid responsibility for the routine care work it takes to raise children and maintain families.
