Latino Fathers’ Hybrid Marginalized Masculinities

“New fatherhood” describes the social expectation that fathers be both financial providers and emotional caregivers. While previous research suggests Latino fathers’ involvement often reflects this ideal, less is known about how it shapes their self-reflections and experiences. Using semi-structured interviews with sixty Latino fathers, I examine how new fatherhood influences their views of their own fathers and their paternal identities. I found that new fatherhood affects participants’ collective sentiments about their fathers, which are shaped by how they interpret their fathers’ masculinities, their own gendered performances as sons, and expressions of paternal love, revealing both empathy and resentment. Fathers channel these sentiments into their “new father” identities. However, to construct these identities, participants must criticize their fathers as “traditional.” To negotiate this challenge, they craft a hybrid marginalized masculinity associated with their paternal identities, offering a discursive alibi that protects their fathers’ reputations while positioning themselves as better fathers.