The social construction of a possible male gender bias is negatively impacting fathers in child welfare services: Hammering a square peg into a round hole

ABSTRACT

The social construction of gender dictates the masculine and feminine roles deemed appropriate within a society. Society has traditionally socially constructed women to be mothers and the primary parent, leaving fathers much too often on the sidelines of parenthood. For example, if a parent is a man, they have fewer rights than a parent who is a woman. Gender biases in society are insidious problems. Such biases can lead to the development of adverse attitudes, beliefs and unfair treatment of members of these groups by both individuals and social institutions. This paper will demonstrate the need to investigate the possibility of a systemic male gender bias in CWS. The paper will include the statement of the problem, the rationale and the framework of how gender is socially constructed to help in the understanding of how it negatively impacts fathers. Next will be a discussion of avoiding fathers at all six principle phases of CWS, the lack of parent programs specific to fathers, direction for future research and potential research implications for fathers, children and child welfare workers.

KEYWORDS:

• Fathers
• bias
• parents
• gender
• Child Welfare Services