THE PORTRAIT OF THE UNEMPLOYED FATHER IN FINNISH WOMENS MAGAZINES

This article reports a discourse analytic study forming a part of a la rger research project concerned with unemployment and parenthood. The focus is on discourses about unemployed fathers in Finnish women's mag azines. The magazines can be seen as presenting common knowledge and b eliefs about fathering in problematic situations such as unemployment. Two distinct portraits of unemployed fathers were found. We labelled them the new father and the traditional father, respectively. The port rait of the new father is contradictory in structure: on the one hand it creates a new identity for a father, one committed to childcare and household tasks. On the other hand it maintains the traditional myths and beliefs of masculinity. The portrait of the traditional father is one-sided in structure, presenting traditional masculine myths and be liefs, which are used to construct views of househusband fathers. Simu ltaneously it implies that the most acceptable identity for a father i s as a breadwinner. The new father offers a wider role to men as fathe rs, not however, without contradictions. However, these descriptions m ust be seen as journalist's interpretations which may not mediate soci al reality.