The Role of Fatherhood

These days, fathers are heirs to a fading tradition as heads of the family whose job is to discipline, educate and prepare the children for the world. In a society where patriarchy is discarded as the enemy of equality and the number of single-parent families (three out of four of which are headed by women) is growing, a dad's role seems increasingly ambiguous, and in some quarters, unnecessary. How is the role of fatherhood changing in a world that is becoming more socially and economically equal? And what lies ahead for the traditional head of the family?

On this week's show, we spoke with three fathers about how they see themselves as fathers, what it means to be a dad and where they learned what they practice. Jim Boyd is a news anchor and reporter for Boston's WCVB-TV Channel 5. Thomas Cottle is a practicing psychologist and Professor of Special Education at Boston University. Leroy Rouner is Director of the Institute for Religion and Philosophy at Boston University.