The Families Commission has contracted Christchurch researchers Research First led by Carl Davidson to undertake a literature review of fathers research and a representative survey on Kiwi dads. This will be the first study on any aspect of fatherhood since 1999 involving more than a handful of respondents. The Commission wants to base the new […]

Father & Child Trust has cleared the first hurdle of obtaining funds for a research project involving solo fathers with full custody of children under 8 years of age. The new Lottery Community Research Fund has invited the Trust to submit a full research proposal after accepting the idea.

Most respondents to the Families Commission’s internet-based ‘Couch Poll’ on fathers said ‘better attitudes towards fathers from society’ was the single most important thing that could be done to support fathers. Of the 142 predominantly male respondents, 46% agreed with this, followed by flexible working hours, paid paternity leave and father-specific parenting courses with 30-35% […]

The dearth of local research on fathers may be alleviated in the next year or so, as both the Families Commission and the Father & Child Trust are planning research projects. The Families Commission wants to build on a 1999 survey by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner, which tried to identify barriers to involved […]

Finding the ‘missing men’ is a key goal to a new study headed by Victoria University research fellow Paul Callister. The study addresses concerns about data quality when it comes to men, and the research brief states that “there is a group of men who are actually ‘missing’ in terms of educational participation and attainment, […]

A literature review undertaken by the Maxim Institute, generally considered a Right-Wing Think Tank, found that fathers do indeed provide a unique contribution to their children’s lives. The benefits of father involvement ‘held true after controlling for a range of factors’.

A study published in the Australian Journal for Early Childhood found that in all but the highest quality childcare centres increased levels of stress hormones are found in children. Researchers Sims, Guilfoyle and Parry measured cortisol levels in the saliva of children attending childcare. Cortisol is a hormone produced in response to stress, and generally […]

Researchers at the University of Magdeburg, Germany, found that fathers encourage brain development—in rats.

Fat children are more likely to have their father to blame for their weight problem than their mother, a new study shows. Research by Australian child health experts has revealed that fathers who are disengaged or do not set clear limits for their kids are more likely to have heavier children. Dads who did lay […]

A new research fund set up by the Families Commission lists fathers as one of six priorities considered for funding amongst some more obscure themes such as ‘Impact of Global Climate Change on Families’ and ‘Intergenerational Transmission’. The fund will distribute $1 million per year, and complements the two existing research funds, ‘Blue Skies’ and […]