This dissertation examines fatherhood after separation and divorce in the Rostock area as part of a qualitative study. The following question is at the centre of the study: What factors influence the relationship with the child after separation or divorce from the fathers' perspective? With the ‘absent’ or ‘active’ fathers, current social debates paint a limited picture of paternal practices following separation or divorce and remain blind to the possible range of paternal behaviour. The dissertation deals with the descriptions and the lifeworld of the interviewees in a largely open-ended manner and focuses on the individual negotiation process of one's own fatherhood depending on individual resources, restrictions and their interpretation. To this end, a total of 14 guided interviews were conducted with fathers who had separated. The negotiation process of fatherhood after separation and divorce leads to different paternal behavioural practices. There is no general trend towards the model of the ‘active’ father, but rather points to an increasing diversity of ideas about fatherhood and masculinity.

Details to the Book: Schneider, J. (2022). Vaterschaft nach Trennung und Scheidung: Eine qualitative Untersuchung im Großraum Rostock. Baden-Baden, Ergon- Verlag. https://doi.org/10.5771/9783956509193

This open access book brings together groundbreaking studies on divorce and separation in European countries and their impact on the lives of parents and children. It focuses on four main areas of life after separation: (1) economic consequences, (2) parent-child relationships, (3) the well-being of parents and children (4) and health. Based on studies from several European countries, the book shows how legal regulations and social policy influence the well-being of parents and children after divorce and separation. It also illustrates how social policy is interwoven with the normative fabric of a country. For example, it shows that father-child contact after separation is more intensive in those countries that pursue a policy to promote joint custody (e.g. with the institutionalisation of the alternating model). In countries with such regulations, egalitarian attitudes towards gender roles also tend to dominate. In addition to a strong emphasis on the legal and socio-political context, the studies in this volume take a longitudinal perspective and situate post-separation behaviour and well-being in the life course. The longitudinal perspective opens up new opportunities for research to understand how behaviour and conditions before or during divorce and separation influence subsequent behaviour and well-being. This book will therefore be of particular interest to family researchers and anyone interested in the role of divorce and separation in Europe in the 21st century.

Details to the Book: Kreyenfeld, M. & Trappe, H. (Eds.). (2020). Parental Life Courses after Separation and Divorce in Europe. Springer International Publishing, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44575-1