Abstract
This chapter analyses the changing family from the nuclear unit to the single father as caregiver and provider, paying particular attention to the ways in which such paternal shifts can be understood within broader debates around men, masculinity and society. The chapter considers how single fathers are routinely positioned in romantic situations to alleviate the potential challenge of single fatherhood to more traditional depictions of family life. Returning to a traditional family unit via dating, engagement and re-marriage enables single fathers to embrace or regain their hegemonic credentials rather than disrupt or destabilise the hierarchy of masculinity. What remains clear throughout the chapter however is that media representations of single fatherhood are key, not just to creative entertainment, but to broader cultural visibility, and by extension, family support.
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Feasey, R. (2021). Single Dads in the Entertainment Arena: Hegemonic Hierarchies and Happy Endings. In: Åström, B., Bergnehr, D. (eds) Single Parents. Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Family and Intimate Life. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-71311-9_6
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