Abstract
Indian ethos, despite global influences, accords importance to having children and highlights the role of parents in a child’s upbringing. This chapter illustrates the ways in which highly educated parents employed in hi-tech multinational companies navigate their paths of fathering. The data from in-depth interviews with 20 fathers highlights the emerging trend of conscious fathering with high commitment to children. It highlights the thoughts and actions in parenting from germination of the idea to becoming an egalitarian parent, providing complete support to the spouse, with involvement in pregnancy, birth, infancy and toddler years, with emphasis on ‘doing it right’. Men are clear about their child being a priority but have to struggle to maintain work family balance, where they are expected to be on call, 24 × 7. However, couples make collaborative decisions considering the best interest of the child, to navigate their paths by making short-term adjustments, such as the mother taking a break or working from home or resorting to support from own parents.
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Sriram, R. (2019). Project ‘Fathering’: First-Time Fathers Talk About Parenting in a Global Economy. In: Sriram, R. (eds) Fathering in India. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1715-6_6
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