10024: Fatherhood at Work: New Frontiers of Work-Family Research

Fatherhood is an often overlooked yet critical aspect of the intersection of families and work. This symposium will explore the distinctive experiences and challenges faced by fathers in the workplace, the evolving role of fatherhood, and its implications for organizational practice, gender equality, and work-life integration. The panelists will address three key reasons why fatherhood research deserves greater attention. First, shifting gender and social roles of fathers – driven by increased expectations and desires to engage in caregiving – clash with workplaces that still prioritize traditionally masculine-stereotypic "ideal worker" norms of uninterrupted availability. Second, engaged fatherhood plays a pivotal role in advancing gender equality. Research and practices aimed at gender equality often prioritize women’s workforce participation, overlooking the also crucial need to normalize men’s participation in unpaid caregiving and domestic roles. Finally, despite the robust body of parenting research, fathers remain underrepresented in academic inquiry, leaving journeys underexplored. Featuring a globally diverse panel of six distinguished scholars, this symposium synthesizes current fatherhood research, highlights critical gaps, and identifies future research directions. The panelists approach fatherhood from varied lenses – work-life integration, identity shifts, and caregiving conflicts with organizational norms – and discuss the benefits of developing the work-family literature on this topic. By advancing these conversations, the symposium aims to motivate new directions for inquiry into work, family, and fatherhood within the management community.