“A Drop-In Catering Job”: Middle-Class Women and Fatherhood,1950-1980

Abstract

This article explores the roots of the so-called new fatherhood, arguing that the mothers of the baby boom laid the groundwork for the fathering patterns of the period from 1970 to 1990. For postwar women, helping men to father was a prescriptive duty and a necessity. They guided fathers as well as children, elaborating on ideals for fathers'behavior while their own tasks expanded. By using longitudinal evidence, this article highlights the hidden role that a generation of women associated with the traditional roles played in generating family change and the disappointments they experienced in the process.