Be sure to conceptualise your answer and draw on sociological theory to justify your reasoning.

Introduction
The present day fathers come in a number of forms. Nowadays fathers are no longer
the traditional disciplinarian and married breadwinner within the family (Marsiglio et. al.,
2000). He could be single or married; employed externally or remain-at home; straight or
gay; step-parent or an adoptive and more than a capable caregiver to the children
experiencing psychological and physical challenges. Psychological study across families
belonging to different ethnic backgrounds highlight the fact that fathers' affection and
incremented family involvement helps in promoting children's social as well as emotional
development (Eggebeen & Knoester, 2001). Further, taking the above discussion into
consideration this particular paper attempts to highlight how and why the role of fatherhood
has changed.
The dramatic changes to the roles in family
The dramatic changes in society have been brought about by the economic factors.
Young families do not consider the concept of family wage and thinks it to be insufficient to
support the lifestyle, children’s education and retirement planning. Families now consider
that the wife and mother should financially also support the family. U.S. House of
Representatives’ Select Committee on Children, Youth and Families found that the family
income of families have increased over the past few decades not because of increase in
income per person but because of the increase in number of working people per family. The
earnings from one family member has failed to meet the rising inflation levels and thus
requiring a second earning member in the family. This changing pattern of income earners
have led to parents especially mothers to spend less time with children. Moreover in
incidence of divorce there is no assurance of economic support for taking care of the children.
The changing workforce is also impacting the expectations and rights within marriages
(Lindsay & Dempsey, 2009). Economically self-sufficient are becoming less tolerant towards
the economically dependent partner. The changes are most profoundly noticed in marriage
and divorce, bearing children, changing role of grandparents and gay marriages (Lindsay &
Dempsey, 2009).
Factors that have changed the roles of males as fathers
Economic Trends
Around Two to three centuries before, roles of father were principally to serve as
breadwinners as well as the conveyers of religious education and moral values to their
children (Cabrera et. al., 2000). Nevertheless, with the initiation of urbanization and
industrialization and since factories came up as a chief sources of employment, the fathers
became distanced from their families and household. Increasing levels of abandonment and
illegitimacy resulted in the formation of welfare programs in order to help out unmarried
women or widowed in supporting their children. Moreover, in latest decades, the altering
economic function of women has highly affected the role of fathers (Cabrera et. al., 2000).
Between the years 1948 and 2001, the proportion of working age females employed or
searching for work almost became twice–from less than 33% to over 60%. Their increment in
financial authority made paternal financial assistance less essential for few families.
Moreover, in tandem with the augmenting autonomy of females, related trends like
decreasing fertility, augmenting rates of divorce along with remarriage and childbirth outside
of marriage have led to a transformation from traditional to manifold undefined functions for
several fathers. Present day’s fathers have begun to take on roles very much distinct from
fathers of earlier generations (Marsiglio et. al., 2000).
Changes in care-giving roles
Historically, research study on child development has laid emphasis on more on the
understanding of mothers to satisfying their children’s...