Is there a father instinct? Fathers responsibility for children. Draft update.

Rapid economic and social changes increases in womens work outside of the home and the dissemination of Western ideals have created new expectations for fathers. The authors focus upon the reasons why fathering is in crisis in the US and many other parts of the world. The paper is divided into four sections and based upon a review of literature from psychology anthropology sociology and economics. The first section describes the kinds of roles which fathers play in their childrens lives offers some examples of fathering and outlines some universals and variations in fathering roles. The second section outlines some of the research on the effects of fathering upon children. The third section considers why some fathers are more responsible than others and which theories exist to explain the differences in fathering. Finally programs which have been designed to improve or assist men to develop new fathering roles are discussed.