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Father Involvement: New Zealand

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Father Involvement in Young Children’s Lives

Part of the book series: Educating the Young Child ((EDYC,volume 6))

Abstract

While New Zealand’s diverse population means that there is no one historical or current role for fathers in New Zealand, many men take an active role in parenting. Yet, most fathers in New Zealand face a range of barriers to active involved fathering. Some are relatively minor but others are more significant. While the majority of these barriers are similar to those faced by fathers in many industrialized nations, some are particularly important in New Zealand. Three areas where New Zealand stands out are: workplace factors, including New Zealand’s very long working hours and workplace cultures that do not support unpaid care activities; the design of parental leave; and applications of family law and justice policy that mean that it is difficult for many of New Zealand’s fathers to take an equal parenting role. While these three areas represent both an obstacle to fathering and, in some cases, an opportunity to support fathers, in recent years little has been done to address the barriers in each of these areas.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    A more complete discussion of these issues can be found in Fursman and Callister (2009).

  2. 2.

    The history and outcome of this complaint can be found at http://www.fatherandchild.org.nz/submissions.htm.

  3. 3.

    This position is frequently strengthened due to mothers being awarded interim custody before the issues are addressed in detail. Subsequent delays in resolution merely add to that advantage.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stout Research Centre, Victoria University, P.O. Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand

    Paul Callister

  2. Institute of Governance and Policy Studies, Victoria University, P.O. Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand

    Lindy Fursman

Authors
  1. Paul Callister
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  2. Lindy Fursman
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Correspondence to Paul Callister .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Department of Teacher Education, California State University, Bellflower Boulevard 1250, Long Beach, 90840-2201, California, USA

    Jyotsna Pattnaik

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Callister, P., Fursman, L. (2013). Father Involvement: New Zealand. In: Pattnaik, J. (eds) Father Involvement in Young Children’s Lives. Educating the Young Child, vol 6. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5155-2_13

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