What does it mean to be a father? This is obvious in the biological sense — though this is not as clear as it was, since the development of artificial insemination by unknown donors — but sociologists are more interested in fatherhood as a social construct. This means that the roles, values, behaviour and attitudes associated with being a father differ in particular societies, or in groups within a society, or at different periods of time. It also means that what we understand by fatherhood — in other words, the social consensus that may exist regarding the role — will almost certainly undergo change.
As with motherhood, the role of father does not exist in a vacuum. The role is played out in concert with other roles — child, mother, grandparents, breadwinner and so on. The role is also linked to social class, religion, ethnic group and to societal norms regarding family life in general.
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