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Stealing Time and Being There: Fathers, Class and Time
Document Type: Open Access
Degree Program
Sociology
Degree Type
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Year Degree Awarded
2007
Month Degree Awarded
September
Primary Subject Category
Sociology
Keywords
fathers, class, time, hours, schedules, gender
Advisor(s) or Committee Chair
Gerstel, Naomi
Abstract
Although the conflicting demands between work and family have been documented for mothers, much less is known about fathers. Specifically, must less is known about how family and work influence the work hours and schedules of fathers and how these influences might vary by class. In this paper, I use multi-methods to compare a relatively affluent group of professionals (physicians) to a group of working class fathers (emergency medical technicians) in how work and family influence their hours and schedules. I find that, on the one hand, the working-class fathers, while saying that their children are not a great influence on the schedules, are more likely to manipulate their schedules in order to participate in the daily care of their children in response to spouses’ employment, or perform “private fathering.” Physicians, on the other hand, are more likely claim the importance of their children on their schedules, but prioritize work demands and participate with their children through their children’s special events, or practice “public fathering.” These differences are class-related, based on the work and family structures in place for each group of fathers.
Recommended Citation
Russell, Carla N., "Stealing Time and Being There: Fathers, Class and Time" (2007). Masters Theses. Paper 38.
http://scholarworks.umass.edu/theses/38
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