Stoic and supportive: understanding men’s journeys into fatherhood

Drs Paul Hodkinson and Ranjana Das from the Sociology Department at Surrey University conducted in-depth interviews with 15 fathers, all living with the mother during the perinatal period. The men told them all about their journeys into fatherhood, the challenges they faced, and the role of digital communication at different stages of their experience.

Paul and Ranjana published a book about their research, called New Fathers, Mental Health and Digital Communication, in 2021.

One of the dads, John, summed things up thus: “Nobody talks about you as a dad, what will it be like, what will the new world look like … it’s not so much about the mechanics of looking after a baby, that’s relatively easy to do, feed a bottle, change a nappy … it’s the way you look after yourself.”

In this episode, Ranjana and Paul talk us through their findings about how men cope with becoming fathers, about their use digital communication, and about the role services could play in providing better support.

Check out the book here.