ABSTRACT
Gendered habitus generates a view of the world in which the division of labour between men and women is seen as ‘natural’ and much domestic labour is rendered invisible. Twelve mothers described their husbands as ‘involved’, seven from Oak Park and five from Milner. However, it soon became apparent that involvement can mean many different things. Male involvement, where it did exist in the home, was primarily focused at the two ends of the scale of parental involvement. Men either helped out when women were too busy, or else their intervention was at the level of decision-making and advice-giving. The presence of fathers in school influenced how families were perceived by teachers. Teachers in both schools linked ‘real’ interest in children's schooling to fathers' attendance at school events. Regardless of home-based involvement, Oak Park fathers were much more visible at parents’ evening than the fathers at Milner.
