Fathers and children in child health care: an ethnographic study of institutional practices

The aim of this study is to investigate the interaction between fathers and professionals in Child Health Care (BVC). The focus is also on parental classes consisting (father groups) and home visits.

The project explores how fathers are positioned in relation to institutional ideals and notions of “good” parenthood. Ethnographic studies will be conducted in different socioeconomic settings.

The data include video observations, focus groups and analysis of text material, focusing on relations between ideals and practices. A particular focus is on questions regarding childhood and parenting ideals.

The project concerns practices that focus on fatherhood and well-being, through educational opportunities and guidance offered by BVC.

Father-only visits have recently been introduced on a nation-wide scale, with a purpose of identifying challenges, as well as issues of parental well-being, working against identified problems. Previous research has primarily been conducted through interviews and surveys. This study is concerned with social dimensions of fatherhood within father groups.

Our analysis of father-only visits is conducted through detailed analyses of “naturally occurring data”.

This gives possibilities of theoretical and conceptual development about social interaction in health settings, based on innovative methodologies – generating new empirical insights. Our contribution is to interdisciplinary studies of children and childhood, as well as to masculinities/fatherhood.