Strengthening Father-Son Relations and Converting Intergenerational Transfers into Human Wellbeing Outcomes

This chapter expands study of the linkages between intergenerational relationsIntergenerationalrelations, migration and the transfer of masculinities and fathering practicesFatherhoodfathering practices. It explores how sons in the UK construct masculinities under different conditions from those of their fathers and grandfathers and how different kinds of relationships and affective ties relate to the different ways familyMigrationfamily life is reshaped in the UK context. By exploring the patterning of relationshipsRelationships between and across generations (including how far migrant men’s relationships echo those of their own fathers and the extent to which sons’ relationshipsRelationships mirror those of their fathers), it is possible to identify continuities and change in relation to intergenerational transmission of gendered roles, ideologies and practices and broader shifts in the discourses and practices of fathering. This chapter examines cases where fathers and sons had bonded despite the long periods of separation implied by international migration. It explores the processes through which men develop intimacy and emotional involvement with sons and how this is shaped by norms about patriarchyGenderpatriarchy, paid employmentEmployment and attitudes to womenGenderattitudes to women. Importantly, it examines how far increased emotional closeness facilitated take-up of intergenerational transfers and how far they could use them to exit povertyPovertyreversals/exit and inequality.