Transforming Fatherhood: Reconstructing Fatherhood through Faith-Based Father School in South Korea

Abstract

Despite the fast growing literature on religion and fatherhood, the majority of research on the topic was conducted in western societies, and the linkage between culture, religion, and fatherhood was understudied. Using in-depth interviews with 20 Korean fathers who completed an evangelical Duranno Father School (DFS) program, this study examines the processes through which they reconstruct fatherhood and become involved fathers in contemporary South Korean society. Results show the DFS program is instrumental in the reconstruction of new fatherhood through the provision of a strong moral foundation. The transformational processes of fatherhood are initiated and sustained within men's relationships and interactions with families and religious communities in South Korean cultural context. However, reconstructing a new form of fatherhood is a daunting task and the processes of change are marked with constant tensions between old practices and new ways of doing fatherhood. Men must consciously make efforts to sustain new fatherhood through various means and strategies until new fatherhood becomes familiar. This Korean case suggests the significance of looking into the distinctive roles of religion in the processes of reconstruction of fatherhood, particularly in “unsettled times” characterized by social transformation. Implications of the findings for future research are discussed.