Reshaping Fatherhood: The Social Construction of Shared Parenting

Dienhart emphasizes that "tag-team parenting," a common technique that couples use to juggle the responsibilities of a hectic family life, relies on both the interchangeability of parental tasks as well as the specialization by preference. Dienhart compares shared parenting to a dance that demands continuous revision of the perceptions and activities of fatherhood and motherhood. She challenges family researchers to move beyond deficit and comparative model perspectives about the complexities of gendered family life as she offers alternative ideas about division-of-labor patterns, men′s relational capabilities in child care, the preeminence of men′s provider role, and traditional notions about gender and politics in families.

This timely book is ideal for professionals and students in family studies, sociology of the family, family psychology, and gender studies.