Fatherhood and Culture: Moving Beyond Stereotypical Understandings.

Given the increasing diversity of Western nations, as social workers engage with increasingly diverse families, they need to expand on their contextual understanding of the culturally diverse individuals and families they encounter. This article explores previous understandings of fatherhood in diverse cultural groups and examines recent studies that challenge popular stereotypes of fathers from a variety of ethnicities. Although cross-cultural comparisons provide a starting point in examining fathering practices, care must be taken to allow for a fluid and contextual definition of fatherhood in different cultures. We suggest that a more expanded notion of diversity will allow practitioners to provide services that move beyond stereotypical notions of fathering in diverse cultures to more complex and nuanced understandings. Frameworks for service are examined. (Author abstract)