Researching men

Men are a barometer alerting us to weaknesses and problems in the late 20th century family. The absence of the father from the home is the reality of family breakdown that gets too often overlooked in the moral panics about lone mothers. Out society knows little about men in the context of family life and more research is needed. To arrive at a balanced discussion about changing roles, the importance of men's involvement in the material well-being of the family must be honesty assessed, and the definition of mens's activities in female terms must be avoided.