Swings and merry go rounds: COVID-19 and opportunities for fatherhood Patricia Hamilton, University College London

Event details

Sociology Seminar Series

As innumerable studies, opinion pieces and petitions to the government can attest, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on parenting and family in Britain (Faircloth, Iqbal & Twamley, 2020; HC Petitions Committee, 2021; Walters, 2021). While a gendered analysis has revealed that mothers have been especially burdened by pandemic mitigation policies (Blanden et al, 2021), some have suggested that lockdowns have provided a unique opportunity to fathers to spend more time caring for the children.

In this talk, Patricia draws from a wider qualitative study about parental leave take-up in the UK to examine more closely whether these opportunities were available to all fathers. In particular, she will concentrate on the narratives of two fathers, David and Henry, to argue that the intersection between social class, gender and parenting culture significantly influences how lockdown opportunities are taken up, particularly within a parental leave landscape informed by maternalism.

Snacks and drinks will be provided based on Bring Your Own Cup policy.