Chapter One “ IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER ” MEN , FATHERHOOD AND PUBLIC POLICY by Ian Shirley

Fathers and fatherhood are back on the policy agenda. Over the past two decades questions have been raised within New Zealand and comparative countries as to the status of men and the rights and responsibilities of fatherhood. Such questions arise at a time when fathers have become increasingly marginalised, especially within the context of the home. As the role of breadwinner and provider has changed, so men find themselves de-skilled in the day-to-day activities of fatherhood. Whereas women were excluded from the paid workforce for much of this century, as the century comes to a close it is men who are confronting exclusion from the family and at the same time having to deal with contradictory interpretations of their gender and sexuality.