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Objective: To introduce the readers to the Journal of Family Research's Special Collection about fatherhood -related political frameworks, social constructions of fatherhood and masculinity, and practices of fathers in Europe. Background: Fatherhood research has proliferated in recent decades and reflects that paternal involvement is closely linked to national policies, to prevailing social normative understandings of fatherhood, and also varies in practice. Method: Except for the review article, the contributions of this Special Collection draw on empirical data, including quantitative analyses of large-scale data, such as the European Social Survey, the QUIDAN-Survey, and the DJI "Growing up in Germany" survey, and qualitative analyses of in-depth interviews. Results: The six contributions vary in focus and illustrate a wide range of approaches to the understanding of fatherhood constructions and practices as well as the political frameworks that shape contemporary fatherhood in Europe. The contributions study fatherhood in the context of the transition to parenthood, parenting practices, the composition of working environments as well as in social work practice. Conclusion: The discussion of fatherhood constructions and practices as well as related political frameworks is crucial to understanding which social conditions facilitate and hinder father involvement in Europe., JFR-JOURNAL OF FAMILY RESEARCH, 35

The popularity of the ‘Elterngeld’ – the current parental allowance legislation in Germany – is considerably growing among fathers. By means of a multiple-method research approach, the influence of employment on paternity leave is investigated through the example of Bavaria – a federal state that has a particularly high rate of fathers taking parental leave. Contextual factors that might influence fathers’ involvement at the district level are investigated based on aggregated regional data using linear regression. It shows that a low rate of unemployment, job opportunities for highly qualified workers and an equitable balance in the participation of women and men in working life correlate with a higher rate of paternity leave. Individual rationales for taking parental leave are reconstructed on the basis of problem-focused interviews with Bavarian fathers and couples during paternity leave. The analysis revealed that, besides financial considerations, the emotional attachment to working life is of great importance for the decision of fathers taking parental leave. Even though the high income level in Bavaria is not – differently than previously assumed – crucial for the extensive use of ‘father months’, the findings confirm the overall importance of employment and the income level of both parents for the fathers’ decision on taking parental leave. Zusammenfassung Das Elterngeld erfreut sich bei Vätern zunehmender Beliebtheit. Am Beispiel Bayerns – einem Bundesland, in dem die Nutzung der ‚Vätermonate‘ besonders hoch ist und gleichzeitig regional variiert – wird mithilfe eines multimethodischen Designs untersucht, welche Bedeutung die Erwerbsarbeit für den Elterngeldbezug von Vätern hat. Auf der Grundlage aggregierter Regionaldaten wird zunächst mittels linearer Regression analysiert, welche Kontextfaktoren die Väterbeteiligung auf Kreisebene beeinflussen. Dabei zeigt sich, dass vor allem eine geringe Arbeitslosigkeit, das Arbeitsplatzangebot für hoch qualifizierte Beschäftigte und eine ausgewogene Erwerbsbeteiligung von Frauen und Männern mit einer höheren Väterbeteiligung am Elterngeld einhergehen. Zudem werden auf Grundlage problemzentrierter Interviews mit Vätern und Paaren individuelle Begründungen für den Elterngeldbezug des Vaters rekonstruiert. Neben finanziellen Erwägungen bestimmt eine emotionale Verwobenheit mit der Erwerbsarbeit die Elterngeld-Entscheidung. Insgesamt zeigt sich, wie bedeutsam die Erwerbsarbeit und das Einkommen beider Elternteile für die Elterngeldentscheidung sind, auch wenn das hohe bayerische Einkommensniveau nicht ausschlaggebend für die hohe Nutzung der Partnermonate ist., JFR - Journal of Family Research, Vol 29 No 1 (2017): Väter und Berufstätigkeit