The portrait of the unemployed father in Finnish women's magazines

This article reports a discourse analytic study forming a part of a larger research project concerned with unemployment and parenthood. The focus is on discourses about unemployed fathers in Finnish women's magazines. The magazines can be seen as presenting common knowledge and beliefs about fathering in problematic situations such as unemployment. Two distinct portraits of unemployed fathers were found. We labelled them the new father and the traditional father, respectively. The portrait of the new father is contradictory in structure: on the one hand it creates a new identity for a father, one committed to childcare and household tasks. On the other hand it maintains the traditional myths and beliefs of masculinity. The portrait of the traditional father is one-sided in structure, presenting traditional masculine myths and beliefs, which are used to construct views of househusband fathers. Simultaneously it implies that the most acceptable identity for a father is as a breadwinner. The new father offers a wider role to men as fathers, not however, without contradictions. However, these descriptions must be seen as journalist's interpretations which may not mediate social reality.