Fathering: An Australian History

by Alistair Thomson, John Murphy, Kate Murphy

The 21st-century father is expected to be actively engaged in the everyday care of his children, as epitomised by the celebrated dad of children’s cartoon Bluey, the Blue Heeler Bandit. An Australian History explores why men often struggle to meet social and cultural expectations. The authors’ groundbreaking research reveals the forces that have shaped Australian family life and fathering since the early twentieth century, and how Australian fathers have managed the evolving role and its responsibilities.

Focusing on lived experience and drawing upon a century of personal accounts, Fathering shows how fathers have participated in raising their children as the world changed their family roles and the relationships they form with their children. It reveals how the experience of being a father is as much shaped by social class and material wellbeing as it is by race and ethnicity, geography and sexuality, and by family legacy and personal character.

The first comprehensive history of Australian fathering, Fathering transforms our understanding of men’s experience of parenthood, showing how fathers from diverse backgrounds, including migrant and Indigenous dads, have negotiated their role in changing circumstances.

432 pages, Paperback

Published September 2, 2025

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed and fascinating look at the history of the Australian father figure over time, by looking mainly at historical oral histories and broad studies.

Makes you appreciative of how far Australia has come as a society, but also how far we have to go.

Unfortunately the length of the book may have led to me missing some parts of my children’s lives - but, on the other hand, that’s preferable to working 50 hours a week. Yeesh

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engrossing cultural history- thorough, detailed, and introspective.