LITERATURE REVIEW CHAPTER OF MY PROJECT (research proposal on the Essay

LITERATURE REVIEW CHAPTER OF MY PROJECT (research proposal on the difficulties single fathers face raising a child in lonodon - Essay Example 15) maintains that there are a number of reasons for the perpetuation of the difficulties single father face. To start with, societal perceptions of single fathers contribute to insufficient and quite often no public or private support for single fathers. Additionally, the UK National Statistics (2011) report that single fathers are more likely to be working parents compared to single mothers. According to a 2001 UK National Statistics released in February 2011, just over 62 per cent of single fathers compared to just over 47 per cent of single mothers. This chapter explores the literature relative to the status and treatment of single fathers in the UK generally, but with particular focus on single fathers in London. The purpose of this chapter is to establish a conceptual framework for demonstrating that single fathers in London face a number of difficulties as a result of both societal and government treatment and perceptions of single fathers and fathers generally. This chapter w ill also explore the possibility that fathers are already disadvantaged by the fact that they are typically working fathers, obviating a greater need for support. I. Public Perceptions of Fatherhood Public perceptions of fatherhood are generally reflected in expectations and experiences within the family structure and based on public policies and legislation. There is a paucity of empirical research in public perceptions of fatherhood. Much of the literature is comprised of historical developments, legal developments, and policy decisions. For the most part, public perceptions of fatherhood are deduced from expectations within the family as expressed in the social sciences and by the law and policy makers as primarily expressed in the law. Daly (1993, p. 511) conducted a study involving 32 fathers of children under the age of 6 and reports that one of the greatest barriers to successful single fatherhood is public perceptions of the role of the father. Daly’s (1993, p. 511) s urvey of the subject fathers discovered that these fathers of the young children were informed of their roles by pervious experiences with their own fathers. According to Dowd (2002, p. 5) theorizes that public perceptions of fatherhood are embedded in the law’s perpetuation of the father as a biological and economic figure, which essentially denies that the father is a nurturing parent. Di Torella (2007, p. 319) substantiates Dwod’s theory by pointing out that although the Work and Family Act 2006 seeks to reinvent the role of the father, it is primarily geared toward accommodating the working mother, rather than the working father and therefore continues to perpetuate the public perception that the father is the financial rather than substantive parent. The legal treatment of the father is explored in greater detail below in Section III below. For present purposes, suffice it to state that according to Dowd (2002, p. 5) the legal representation of the father stems fr om the traditional and historical representation of the father as a property owner and source of financial support for the child. It is hardly surprising that public perceptions of fatherhood tend to undermine the significance of the father in the child’s development and growth. Vincent and Ball (2006, p. 90) inform that based on their interpretation of legal and public treatment of the father, both â€Å"popular and policy discourses on fathers are not flattering†