New generation of fathers in Poland: a path to gender equality?

This article explores fatherhood in Poland among dual‐earner couples, parents to at least one young child. The birth of a child usually results in a more traditional, gendered division of labour among partners, including that of newly created childcare duties. However, a visible intergenerational shift is developing, with new fathers increasingly expressing the desire to be more involved with their children, as compared to their own fathers. Mothers seem to support this change and prioritise fathers building relationships with their children rather than doing more housework. This article focuses on the results of 74 semi‐structured individual interviews with 37 couples, conducted in 2019 in Poland. I explore how the concept of “involved fatherhood” is understood and practiced amid many contradictions. For example, despite generous and seemingly gender‐neutral social policies (e.g., long parental leave available for both mothers and fathers), there is a strongly gendered uptake, with women using the vast majority of all leaves. For many of the fathers in my sample, fatherhood was a life‐changing experience. However, it is important to mention that even when a father is an active caregiver, this doesn’t always translate to a more gender‐equal division of labour. Through the experiences of my respondents, I argue that despite increasing cultural support for involved fatherhood, there are still challenges with practicing it.