Father involvement during the COVID-19 pandemic :|a qualitative study on the effects of remote working

Abstract

The present study aims to understand the experiences of fathers who were fully or partially working from their homes during the COVID-19 lockdown measures. In order to do so, twelve fathers who have fully or partially worked remotely during the lockdown were recruited. The participants were interviewed, and the semi-structured interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis method. Five main themes emerged from the analysis of the data with regard to participants’ view on fatherhood and the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on father involvement: (1) themes on fatherhood and the role of the father, (2) intergenerational transmission processes, (3) fathers’ perspectives on gender roles within the family, (4) bonding with the child during COVID-19, and (5) ambivalence and finding balance. The results indicated that the characteristics participants attribute to fatherhood are diverse, ranging from being responsible, and being the advisor of the family to being a co-parent. Furthermore, participants’ relationship with their own fathers was an important factor in shaping their attitudes on fatherhood. Participants who described positive relationships with their fathers carried this into their relationships with their own children; whereas participants who described negative relationships with their fathers try to compensate for this in their relationships with their children. Lastly, the majority of the participants reported that they were able to spend more time and have a closer bond with their children while working remotely during the lockdown.