New Fathers: Transitions, Changes, and Expectations - Essay Sample

Introduction

From when a child is born, fathers handle them differently than their mothers do. Men do not handle them worse or better but different. The transitioning that takes place from just being a 'male' to a father' begins to take shape both physically and psychologically. The psychological involvement they have are varied across cultures and range from weight gain to experiencing pains in the mouth and abdomen (Pruett, 2017). Men that are 'expectant' have a lot of changes indicating the essential reorganization they encounter to make them more responsible and reliable as compared to when they were fatherless. The abrupt changes from male to father also has a profound effect in the workplace where males seem to receive a more significant deal of advantages when they become fathers in comparison to women. This paper discusses the issues of new fathers in the workplace.

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Fatherhood is a sign of possessing positive interpersonal qualities, especially for men. In comparison to those that have not children, the fathers are found to be warmer, more likable, and significantly less hostile. The new fathers have it more comfortably because they can now be more trusted and seen to be more responsible when compared to their counterparts who do not have children. As such, it is easier for organizations to give them more complicated tasks and pay rise. Women, on the other hand, have it a little harder, especially when they become new mothers while not married yet. Often, they would be seen as irresponsible, and they are less likely to get any bonuses based on their new statuses. Mothers are less likely to be seen as qualified and as competent at work as their male colleagues that have the same qualification-the differences, in general, are due to the expectations that employers have from them.

The cultural and traditional notion that men are the breadwinners and women are the caregivers play a significant factor in cementing the perspective, especially when children are involved. It seems like most employers have not accepted the fact that all the employees, regardless of sex, are equally valuable whether children are involved or not. It is established that women who have low-income pay are those most affected while high-income men get the most reward due to having children. Without the cultural assumptions, more than 50 percent of working women with children are the primary breadwinners for 40 percent of households that have children. However, employers perceive fathers to be more committed and more stable in their work since they have a family to provide hence less likely to be flaky in their work environment.

Statistically, fathers are known to work harder when they have children hence more reliable and dependable. The stereotype, however, is detrimental to women who have dedicated their time and effort to their work and want to become more productive with their work after having children. A lot is changing, and women are becoming more independent and work-oriented than it traditionally was where they were more devoted to family chores and raising of children (Augustine et al., 1994). Things have not changed a lot for fathers who have the upper hand, especially if they are responsible, and it is not by a lot of people. They are more likely to be favored and praised for the excellent work they are doing.

Regarding most desirable employees, employers rate fathers first, then women with no children, the men without children, and mother as the last in their priority list. Mothers get harsher treatment when late and with more stringent standards of performance. Employers have the notion that these mothers tend to prefer their children and household to their work hence are less friendly to them when they do anything to prove that. However, the top-earning women are not profoundly affected by the same but are likely to get raises, especially when their bosses are men or childless women. The groups that are most affected are low-income and average-earners. In the United States, for instance, there are a lot of disparities based on race and class. African Americans get lesser rewards in comparison to the Latino and white counterparts regarding the raise or bonuses they receive when they become fathers.

These perception effects are detrimental as they are stereotypical despite having some form of truth to some level. The motherhood penalty is not justifiable, as there are women who become more hardworking and reliable after getting children (Scanlon, 2020). As such, they are also more deserving of the bonuses given to men too. The fathers have shown to spend less time with their children than women; hence a more critical factor should be based on them being more dedicated to how they tend to their children than just the status of becoming fathers.

Children who don't have fathers in their daily lives start looking for their fathers as soon as they realize that other kids have mothers and fathers. This aspect holds despite their fathers not immediately there, or else they can make-up or someone they have an appropriate liking to, and they will start referring to them as their father.

Fathers become more vulnerable and engrossed and are often very anxious to form an uninterrupted and close attachment with the baby, unlike for the mother, which seems to come more naturally. The fathers become more obligated to act in ways meant to benefit the child and the mother. They become more out of control of their lives, marginalized with their relationships with spouses, and adequate to the task at hand (Wall, 2017). They naturally become more careful and better at handling the issues and tasks they come across. Moreover, there are more societal expectations from the men who become fathers. They are supposed to take care of their families, step up in cases where they seemed to have been faulty, and are expected to be more careful with their moves because few mistakes can have a lot of impacts. As such, employers deem them fitter at handling more delicate affairs.

Despite the bonuses that the new fathers get, it is normally accompanied by more responsibilities and expectations. The opposite is exact for new mothers where they can sometimes be given fewer involving tasks, and expectations from them are innately lower. Care involvement is not the same for both genders, and they also differ across cultures where people have different ways with which they participate in physical maintenance and care of the newborns (Wall, 2017). However, it is considerable to note that there are similar patterns from men and women distinctly hence gives a good explanation to the differences that are experienced in the way men are generally treated differently from women at the workplace regarding bonuses when they both get newborns.

References

Augustine, John Chrysostom, & Schaff, P. (1994). Nicene and post-Nicene fathers. Hendrickson Publishers.

Pruett, K. (2017). How Men and Children Affect Each Other's Development. ZERO TO THREE. Retrieved 10 May 2020, from https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/1075-how-men-and-children-affect-each-other-s-development.

Scanlon, C. (2020). I got the 'daddy bonus,' but I still don't think it's fair. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 10 May 2020, from https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/i-got-the-daddy-bonus-but-i-still-don-t-think-it-s-fair-20181002-p507dg.html.

Wall, M. (2017). Comparative Perspectives on Work-Life Balance and Gender Equality. Routledge.