Problematizing Fatherhood: Impact of the Intact Family Ideal on Fathers in Hong Kong

Abstract

Discourses that uphold the superiority of the married two-parent family ignore the findings that parental practice rather than family form matters. Few studies have examined the impact of the hegemonic notion of the intact family on fathers. Based on data from participant observation in a men's center in Hong Kong and in-depth interviews with 20 members, this article analyzes the implied hegemony of the intact family in the new manhood proposed by the center. Results show intact family hegemony led fathers to endure bitter and violent marriages and that divorced fathers felt a sense of failure and guilt toward their children. I argue that the fatherhood movement should abandon the obsession with the intact family and promote involved fathering for all families.