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ARTICLES

Men's discursive constructions of balance in everyday life

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Pages 117-133 | Received 20 Nov 2013, Accepted 10 Jun 2014, Published online: 10 Oct 2014
 

Abstract

Fathers' involvement in paid and unpaid activities and the notion of the ideal father is evolving in contemporary Western society. Little is known about how fathers construct balance in everyday life and what ideologies underpin these constructions. We explored balance using qualitative interviews with 15 men in dual-income heterosexual partnerships who had young children. Phenomenographic and critical discourse analyses generated two key constructions of balance: managing life and participating in a mix of activities. The first construction highlighted the subject position of the Ideal Father, which embraced the ideologies of the ideal father and the model paid worker. According to this construction, fathers attained balance by ensuring the family's financial security, participating in family life, and serving the greater good of the family by meeting its needs. The second construction reflected the Contented Man position, which was informed by the ideology of occupational justice. It emphasized that men achieved balance by engaging in diverse experiences, enjoying the freedom to spend time alone, and meeting personal needs. The tensions that arise among these three ideologies (ideal father, model paid worker, and occupational justice) can impede men's attainment of balance, which has implications for health and social policies and services.

L'implication des pères dans les activités rémunérées et non rémunérées ainsi que la notion de ce qu'est un père idéal évolue dans la société occidentale contemporaine. On sait fort peu sur la manière dont les pères élaborent ce qui constitue un équilibre dans la vie de tous les jours ainsi que les idéologies qui sous-tendent ces représentations. Nous avons exploré les représentations de l'équilibre par le biais d'entretiens qualitatifs, réalisés auprès de 15 hommes, engagés dans une relation de couple hétérosexuelle, à double revenu, et qui ont de jeunes enfants. Une analyse critique et phénoménographique du discours a permis de dégager deux représentations-clés de l'équilibre, soit de gérer sa vie et de participer à un ensemble d'activités. Une première construction a mis en évidence une représentation du Père Idéal, qui embrassait à la fois les idéologies du père idéal et le travailleur rémunéré modèle. Selon cette construction, les pères atteignent l'équilibre en assurant la sécurité financière de la famille, en participant à la vie familiale et en servant les intérêts familiaux, notamment en répondant aux besoins de l'entité familiale. Une deuxième construction reflète une représentation de l'Homme Satisfait, qui repose sur l'idéologie de la justice occupationnelle. Cette construction met l'accent sur le fait que les hommes atteignent l'équilibre en se livrant à diverses expériences, en jouissant de la liberté de passer du temps seul, et en satisfaisant leurs besoins personnels. Les tensions qui surgissent entre ces trois idéologies (le père idéal, le travailleur rémunéré modèle et la justice occupationnelle) peuvent entraver l'atteinte de l'équilibre chez les hommes, ce qui a des implications tant sur le plan des politiques que des programmes en matière de santé et de services sociaux.

Acknowledgements

This article is based on the first author's doctoral studies. We thank the participants for their interests in and contributions to this study and sincerely appreciate Dr Wolff-Michael Roth and Dr James Ponzetti, who were the first author's thesis committee members, for providing insightful perspectives for us to advance this study. The first author acknowledges the Canadian Institute of Health Research Strategic Training Program in Rehabilitation Research and the University of British Columbia for financially supporting her during her Ph.D.

Notes on Contributors

Mineko Wada is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of British Columbia. She is passionate about qualitatively exploring how balance in life, gender, and sexuality are depicted and constructed in discourses and identifying the societal and cultural norms and values that inform those constructions.

Catherine L. Backman is the professor and head of the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of British Columbia, and a research scientist at the Arthritis Research Centre of Canada. Her research explores participation in paid and unpaid work and social roles, particularly in the presence of chronic illness.

Susan J. Forwell is an associate professor at the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Her research interests lie in activities, their meanings in society, and the impact of chronic neurological conditions on engagement in activities.

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