The History of Fatherhood in Norway, 1850–2012

The last two decades have seen a significant revolution in fatherhood in Norway and the Nordic countries. Statutory paternity leave has been introduced, men write books about how wonderful it is to be a father, Prime Ministers are photographed holding their babies, new websites are continually appearing for fathers, and most importantly, statistics show that the average man now participates in the care of his children in a completely different way than previously. Fathers seem to have a real desire to take their place in the home, and to be with their families and children. The first study of its kind, this book traces 150 years of the history of fatherhood in Scandinavia and shows how Scandinavian gender equality policy has important implications for the rest of the world. Among other interesting findings, J̜rgen Lorentzen reveals that the modern-day rise in equality fathering can be traced back to the 19th century. Ultimately, the main aim of this study is to offer an understanding of fatherhood; how those who wrote, wrote about it, and what their texts can tell us about the changes in the thinking that surrounded this absolutely vital subject.