A great deal of social research has looked at motherhood and mothers, but fatherhood, by contrast, has been virtually ignored. Still, changes in marriage and fertility patterns have fundamentally altered key aspects of fatherhood in the late twentieth century. Yet, because we lack any comprehensive picture of fatherhood in the past, it is difficult to put together a meaningful, historically informed picture of fatherhood today. The proposed research involves the study of changes in the social institution of fatherhood between 1918 and 1941. The study is based on a content analysis of letters, newspaper and magazine articles about fatherhood. The study will classify data into those relating to the culture and conduct of paternal engagement, accessibility, and responsibility. Changes in the data over time will then be measured and analyzed. Charting the course of fatherhood during a recent and significant period of American history will permit the testing of the "changing father" hypothesis, that today's fathers are considerably different from their grandfathers. It also will demonstrate the extent to which paternal behavior can be shaped by economic, cultural and political conditions.
