Ambiguous Compliments and Encouragement: Young Fathers’ Experiences of Care, Responsibility and Youth

Abstract Even though fathers matter in the lives of their children, their partners and in society, engaging fathers in social work services has remained hard to follow through. Our participatory action research project in a youth care network in the Netherlands aimed at strengthening the inclusion of young fathers in youth care practice. This article explores how young fathers experience their fatherhood in relation to gender and age norms. Their narratives reveal that age, gender and ethnicity intersect to shape norms of youthfulness from which young fathers deviate by positioning themselves as mature. The young fathers describe their care work as childcare and as relational work, while aligning these care practices with traditional norms of masculinity such as providership and responsibility. Although caring fatherhood is increasingly recognised, they experience ambivalent reactions on community and institutional levels. They receive ambiguous compliments and encouragement that evoke feelings of stigma. Their fatherhood brings positive changes, yet structural barriers in social work systems persist. They often feel unrecognised by social work professionals. The project, however, contributed to professional development through an enhanced father-inclusive support method and training programme. By closely looking into the fathers’ perspectives, this article calls for a shift in social work practice and policy. Findings underline that meaningful engagement with young fathers requires addressing institutional norms, ensuring equal recognition of fathers and mothers, and adopting gender- and age-sensitive approaches that acknowledge the diverse realities of young fathers.