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This paper sets out to capture the missing voices of fathers in discussions around gender, parenting and work. Using Critical Discursive Psychology (CDP), a qualitative methodology that frames discourse, language and action as socially situated, the paper sets out to understand the complexities of involved fatherhood. Using data from two distinct research projects that considered managing tensions around parenting and paid work, alongside the move to ‘involved fatherhood’, we examine the ways in which different discourses are operating in order to construct stories around gender and parenting. We are particularly interested in the ways in which participants use language and, specifically, discourses of parenting, working and caring. Through the interview excerpts we analysed how simultaneously participants position themselves in the discourses and were also being positioned by the wider societal discourses. We consider how CDP can contribute rich insights into the ways in which fathers are arranging sharing parenting caregiving responsibilities, using these insights to inform the policy landscape. We finish the paper by suggesting that CDP methodology can be mobilised by researchers wanting to capture missing voices in shifting policy landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study explores how the reported use and perceived value of five workplace flexibility options differ by gender and life stage. It also examines the relationship of perceived workplace flexibility, gender, and life stages to family-to-work conflict and stress and burnout. Data are from a multi-company database created by WFD Consulting containing the results of studies conducted in multiple organizations between 1996 and 2006. Results revealed a curvilinear relationship in differences between men and women in the use of workplace flexibility options over the life course. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) revealed that perceived flexibility consistently predicted less family-to-work conflict and less stress and burnout. Gender (being female) was also modestly associated with greater family-to-work conflict and greater stress and burnout. The addition of life stage variables significantly increased the proportion of the variance explained in family-to-work conflict and stress and burnout. The addition of the interaction of life stage and gender significantly increased the proportion of the variance explained in family-to-work conflict but not in stress and burnout. These results support the idea that gender, life stage, and their interactions are important variables in research related to workplace flexibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]