Toward a New Model of Fatherhood? Discourses on the Process of Paternal Involvement in Urban Spain

In recent decades quantitative studies have documented an increase in paternal involvement. These changes have led to hypotheses of a new model of fatherhood. The aim of this paper is to explore the discourses of Spanish fathers regarding paternal involvement, identifying its structure and changing tendencies. The analysis is based on eight focus groups conducted in Madrid and Barcelona. Among the main findings we emphasize that the transition of fatherhood, not without contradictions, is causing the traditional homogeneous fatherhood to evolve toward a more complex and multidimensional conceptualization.