Studies of Men’s Involvement in the Family—Part 2

Abstract

This special issue (like the preceding one) is designed to highlight research on men’s increased involvement in their families, focusing both on the antecedents that are linked with their involvement and on the consequences that may follow, and to show that such research is consistent with our theoretical view that the ongoing gender revolution has two parts. The first half, in which the “separate spheres” are broached by women’s increased participation in paid work, strained the family; the second, in which the separation between the spheres is finally being dissolved by men’s taking an active role in their families by contributing to the care of their children and homes, strengthens the family. The previous issue focused on Scandinavia, where both halves of the gender revolution are more advanced than in other industrialized countries; this issue, although not neglecting Scandinavia, includes not only research on the United States but also cross-national studies.