Where’s Dad? Fatherhood in Leisure Studies

Abstract

This paper considers fathers and fatherhood as an ‘absent presence’ in leisure studies and argues for the need for and value of incorporating this subject matter within the field. The paper examines the underplaying of fathers and fatherhood in leisure studies, referring particularly to the leisure‐related literatures pertaining to leisure and gender, leisure and family, and sport and masculinity. The paper then draws on an international multidisciplinary literature to map out developments in fatherhood and in the study of fathers which illustrates the growing prominence of this social issue and the associated response by scholars in cognate disciplines. It suggests that for the most part, ‘fathers’ have not been recognised as a subject of enquiry within leisure and sports research, and that the complexity and diversity of family situations within which fatherhood is practised have also been neglected. The paper suggests that the study of fatherhood can contribute to leisure studies through improved understanding of men’s leisure experiences and the role of leisure in men’s lives, which will contribute also to established traditions of research addressing gender, the work–leisure construct, and family leisure. The paper concludes by suggesting that studying fatherhood ‘through the lens of leisure’ also offers the opportunity to demonstrate the wider contribution that leisure research can make to social enquiry into fatherhood and contemporary family life.