Around 1 in 10 children born in the UK are fathered by men under the age of 25. These men are often from socially disadvantaged areas and frequently overlooked in both research and practice settings.
Using findings from a major Economic and Social Research Council study, supplemented with additional data, the authors focus on the transitions of the young men into early parenthood and their unfolding lives thereafter.
As negative popular and media discourse around young fathers begins to shift, policymakers, practitioners, researchers and students will find future policy and practice directions designed to nurture the potential of these young men and their children.
Introduction Part 1: Young Fatherhood: Contemporary Knowledge and Debate 1. The Lives of Young Fathers 2. Policy Responses and Public Discourses: The Neglect of Young Fathers 3. Researching Young Fatherhood Through Time Part 2: Living Young Fatherhood: Changing Identities, Relationships and Practices 4. Becoming a Young Father: Transitions, Identities, Choices, Constraints 5. Co-Parenting: The Gendered Dynamics of Young Relationships 6. Reconfiguring Families: Intergenerational care and support? 7. Young Breadwinners? Education, Employment, and Training Trajectories 8. Finding a Place to Parent: Young Fathers’ Housing Needs and Pathways - With Linzi Ladlow Part 3: Supporting Young Fathers: Lived Experiences and Policy Challenges 9. Professional Support for Young Fathers: Support, surveillance, sidelining? 10. Enhancing the Social Engagement of Young Fathers through Qualitative Longitudinal Impact Research 11. Rethinking Young Fatherhoodː Citizenship and Compassionate Social Policy Appendix: Pen Portraits of the Participants
Anna Tarrant is Associate Professor in Sociology at the University of Lincoln and is a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow.
