Singapore Dads for Life movement

Dads for Life (DFL) is a national men's movement in Singapore promoting active fatherhood.^[1]

History

Dads for Life emerged in Singapore in the context of two sociological trends. From the 1970s, increasing numbers of women took to the labour force, leading to an evolution of expectations of fatherhood beyond the traditional role of “breadwinner”. In 1991, 55.7% of women in the prime working ages of 25 to 54 were employed.^[2] By 2010, a record 71.7% of women were in the labour force.^[3] Such “dual career” families have required fathers to play a more active role in their children’s lives than before.

The second trend has been the continued lag in the involvement of fathers in family life behind that of mothers, despite evolving social and familial norms. In line with research findings in other countries,^[4] a 2006 study conducted in Singapore found that mothers were still much more likely than fathers to be their child’s caregiver.^[5] Traditional male roles also persist in the type of relationship most children have with their fathers. A 2001 study of post-secondary students in Singapore found that they perceived fathers as significantly less warm than mothers, in that fathers were less affectionate and provided less support and guidance to adolescent children in their everyday lives.^[6]

The late 1990s saw an emergence of independent efforts to promote involved fatherhood and in 1999, the first father-centric social organisation, Centre For Fathering, was registered in Singapore providing family life education and father-child bonding activities. In 2004, the Association of Devoted and Active Family Men (ADAM) was formed to raise awareness on men’s responsibilities and roles in society and family. Government interest began in earnest after the first national survey on fatherhood concluded in 2009. Conducted by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), the lead government agency for family matters in Singapore, this gave national focus to the agenda of promoting involved fatherhood. The survey which polled 2,220 Singaporeans and Permanent Residents aged 18 and above found widespread agreement that fathers play an important parenting role, but that fathers still spend less time with their children than mothers. 95% of fathers surveyed also agreed that being a father and raising children was one of the most fulfilling experiences a man could have, but cited parenting challenges such as work responsibilities, financial pressures and a lack of parenting resources.^[7]

With support from MCYS, Dads for Life was launched on 19 November 2009 in conjunction with International Men’s Day, with a mission to “inspire, mobilize and involve fathers to become good influencers in their children’s lives for life”.^[8] Volunteers led an island-wide distribution of toolkit packs to fathers containing red and white wristbands and lapel pins bearing the movement’s logo.^[9] The local significance of this movement for the family is captured by the National Family Council's chairman Mr Lim Soon Hock: “co-parenting is essential for a child’s optimal growth and development, with fathers and mothers playing distinct but complementary roles. Being an active father can be challenging, but it is also a very fulfilling experience. In promoting greater co-parenting, we... support not just fathers, but also mothers, to make the entire parenting experience an enriching one for the Singaporean family.”^[8] DFL celebrated its first anniversary on 18 November 2010.^[10]

Effects of Father Involvement

See also: child development

Dads for Life is founded on fatherhood research from the 1990s onward that points to the significant benefit of fathers’ involvement on child development in terms of improved cognitive, socio-emotional, psychological and academic outcomes. For example, children with involved and nurturing fathers are noted to:

• develop higher intelligence quotients (IQs), better language and reasoning skills;^[11]
• be more securely attached to their caregivers;^[12]
• experience less emotional distress during adolescence;^[13]
• report lower levels of anxiety and depression as adults;^[14]
• perform better in school.^[15]

Active paternal involvement is also linked to benefits such as:

• better couple relationships among parents;^[16]
• lower levels of maternal stress;^[17]
• positive changes in fathers' self-identity.^[18]

Organisation

National Family Council

Dads for Life is an initiative of the National Family Council (NFC). The NFC is a people-sector Council formed on 1 May 2006 to "champion and promote the building of resilient families, and provide a voice of the people on family issues". It is an advisory and consultative body for family-related policies, issues and programmes. The NFC is headed by Mr Lim Soon Hock, Chairman of Centre for Fathering.^[19]

Fathers Action Network

The Fathers Action Network (FAN) was constituted as a workgroup of the NFC when DFL was launched in November 2009. FAN functions as a consultative network for father-related issues and programmes, and has three stated goals:^[20]

1. To increase awareness and knowledge about the critical impact of fathers’ involvement on their children’s lives;
2. To mobilise individuals, organisations and communities, and promote greater collaboration amongst stakeholders, in increasing fathers’ involvement in their children’s lives; and
3. To empower and support fathers in their roles as parents.

FAN comprises 15 members from various nonprofit organisations and business enterprises, reflecting the community-driven nature of the movement. FAN is headed by Mr Richard Seow, a former banker. Describing the approach adopted by FAN, Mr Seow noted that “many organisations…are already engaging and supporting fathers. Rather than replicate their good work, the network, through its multi-stakeholder representation, hopes to help fathers identify and leverage these resources as they assume increasingly diverse roles in co-parenting and modern family life.”^[21]

Dads for Life Secretariat

The DFL Secretariat functions as an executive and coordinating arm of the movement and is centralized within MCYS.^[22]

Program Tracks

Fathers@Schools

In 2009, a public survey of schools administrators examined the involvement of fathers in the school environment in Singapore.^[23] This led to a publication of international and local best practices for engaging fathers and starting father support groups in schools.^[24] On 1 April 2010, the Fathers@Schools scheme was launched with more than 50 partner schools. Schools on board the public scheme receive seed funding of S$2,000 annually to support or organise father-focused activities.^[25] By November 2010, 66 schools joined Fathers@Schools including two special education (SPED) schools.^[9]

Dads@Workplace

A national fatherhood conference was held on 14 May 2010 targeting employers and organisations to promote a father-friendly work environment.^[26] The inaugural event drew a strong show of interest with employers sending over 1000 participants. In November 2010, Dads@Workplace was announced as the new initiative to engage employers in supporting fatherhood as part of work culture such as through celebrating new fathers, organizing fathering talks and allowing flexible work arrangements.^[27]

Research Initiatives

A review of international research on fatherhood was compiled in 2009, with 40,000 booklets distributed in the first year of the movement.^[9] In June 2010, the Asia Fatherhood Research Conference was convened with the National University of Singapore's Asia Research Institute as the first such conference in Asia, bringing together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to explore the roles and challenges of Asian fathers and fatherhood in Asian countries. The conference featured 17 speakers from seven countries and was opened by Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of National Development (Singapore), Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman.^[28]

Social Media Outreach

In building new media reach, Dads for Life launched a website and social media channels on Facebook and Twitter on 1 April 2010 to serve as a digital repository, online forum and support network for fathers.^[23] At the same time, a national student blog contest was held to give voice to children's appreciation and need for father involvement. The contest "Dads Come In Different Shapes & Sizes But They Are The Best Dads For Life" drew 677 published entries from children across primary and secondary schools.^[29] On Children's Day 2010, Dads for Life ran a second online contest, "The Joy of Being There", this time collecting 110 stories from Singaporean fathers through Facebook.^[30]

Community Partnerships

As an umbrella movement, Dads for Life collaborates with community and corporate partners who spread the movement’s message through their own activities and networks. The following are examples of local initiatives that are supported through this partnership approach:

• Family and Fathering Initiative@North East - The North East Community Development Council started its own two year program called "Family and Fathering Initiative@NorthEast” (FINE) in the North East district. Launched on 29 May 2010 and supported by Dads for Life, the program targets low-income families to help fathers with effective strategies for balancing work and staying involved.^[31]
• 10,000 Fathers Reading! initiative^[32] - The National Library Board's Fathers Read and Ride initiative, supported by Dads for Life, was held from June to September 2010 to encourage fathers to read with their children. Participants boarded a dedicated Mass Rapid Transit train and were treated to storytelling sessions conducted in creative ways.^[33]
• ISCOS Family Day - On 20 June 2010, also Father’s Day, Dads for Life supported the Family Day organised by Industrial and Services Co-Operative Society Ltd (ISCOS), an agency assisting with the reintegration and employment of ex-offenders. The event brought together over 300 ISCOS ex-offenders, many of whom are fathers, and their families.^[34]
• National Runway Cycling and Skating - On 20 June 2010, Dads for Life supported the National Runway Cycle and Skate 2010 event organised by the Singapore Armed Forces Reservists Association (SAFRA), a club for Singapore Armed Forces employees and National Servicemen. The annual event opens up the Paya Lebar Airbase runway to the public to cycle and skate, and saw the participation of an estimated 8000 people, including many fathers and their children.^[35]
• SAFRA AVventura - In January 2011, SAFRA introduced a new Dads for Life Challenge to its annual cross-terrain adventure race, featuring 14 father-and-child teams. Teams competed together in various mystery challenges along a 6km race route in which they navigated on bike and foot.^[36]

References

1. ^ ChannelNewsAsia, Dads for Life movement to get fathers more involved in family, 2009-11-16, retrieved 2011-01-28.
2. ^ Ministry of Manpower, Report on Labour Force in Singapore (2009), Women in prime working ages, retrieved 2011-01-28.
3. ^ 938 Live, Mediacorp News, Singapore’s resident employment hits new high, 2010-11-30, retrieved 2011-01-02.
4. ^ Yeung, W. J., Sandberg, J. F., Davis-Kean, P., & Hofferth, S. L. (2001). Children's time with fathers in intact families. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 63, 136-154.
5. ^ Shum-Cheung, Hawkins & Lim (2006). The Parenting Project: Disciplinary Practices, Child Care Arrangement and Parenting Practices in Singapore. Singapore: Singapore Children’s Society.
6. ^ Ong, A.C. & Tan, E. (2001). Father’s role in the school success of adolescent: A Singapore study. In McInerney, D.M.& Van Etten, S. (Ed.). Research on Sociocultural Influences on Motivation and Learning. Vol. 1. pp. 183-203. Connecticut: Information Age Publishing.
7. ^ Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, Fatherhood public perception survey (2009), retrieved 2011-01-02.
8. ^ ^{a b} Dads for Life, National Family Council, Dads make a difference, 2009-11-17, retrieved 2011-01-28.
9. ^ ^{a b c} Dads for Life, Dads for Life movement’s 1st year milestones, 2011-01-04, retrieved 2011-01-28.
10. ^ The Straits Times, Engaging Dads via TV, 2010-11-18, retrieved 2011-01-28.
11. ^ Pruett, K. (2000). Father-need. New York, NY: Broadway Books.
12. ^ Cox, M. J., Owen, M. T., Henderson, V. K., & Margand, N. (1992). The prediction of infant-father and infant-mother attachment. Developmental Psychology, 28, 474-483.
13. ^ Harris, K. M., & Morgan, S. P. (1991). Fathers, sons, and daughters: Differential paternal involvement in parenting. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 53, 531-544.
14. ^ Flouri, E. & Buchanan, A. (2003). What predicts fathers' involvement with their children? A prospective study of intact families. British Journal of Developmental Psychology 21, 81-97.
15. ^ Nord, C., & West, J. (2001). Fathers’ and mothers’ involvement in their children’s schools by family type and resident status.
16. ^ Snarey, J. (1993). How fathers care for the next generation: A four-decade study. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
17. ^ Fisher, J.R.W. Cabral de Mello, M. Patel, V. & Rahman, A.(2006). Maternal depression and newborn health. Newsletter for the Partnership of Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, 2. Geneva.
18. ^ Eggebeen, D. J., & Knoester, C. W. (2001). Does fatherhood matter for men? Journal of Marriage and the Family, 63, 381-393.
19. ^ Centre for Fathering, How our organisation is set up, retrieved 2011-01-04.
20. ^ ChannelNewsAsia, Fathers Action Network volunteers, 2009-11-19, retrieved 2011-02-04.
21. ^ Dads for Life, Fathers Action Network, Dads make a difference, 2009-11-16, retrieved 2011-02-04.
22. ^ Dads for Life, National Family Council, National Family Council initiatives - Dads for Life, 2010-05-05, retrieved 2011-02-04.
23. ^ ^{a b} Ministry of Community, Youth and Sports, Official Launch of Fathers@Schools and Dads for Life Website, 2010-04-01, retrieved 2011-01-20.
24. ^ Dads for Life, Fathers@Schools Resource and Development Guide, 2010-04-01, retrieved 2011-01-20.
25. ^ AsiaOne News, Dads can do more in schools, 2010-04-01, retrieved 2011-01-20.
26. ^ National Family Council, Dads for Life, Dads for Life Conference 2010 2010-05-14, retrieved 2011-02-04.
27. ^ AsiaOne News, Spend more time with us, dad: Singapore kids, 2010-11-19, retrieved 2011-02-04.
28. ^ Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore, Fatherhood in 21st Century Asia: Research, Interventions and Policies, 2010-05-13, retrieved 2011-02-04.
29. ^ Dads for Life, Dads for Life Student Blog Contest Awards, 2010-07-01, retrieved 2011-02-04.
30. ^ Dads for Life, Highlights of The Joy of Being There Contest, 2010-12-29, retrieved 2011-02-04.
31. ^ North East Community Development Council, Family & Fathering @North East (FINE), 2010-05-29, retrieved 2011-01-28.
32. ^ National Library Board, About 10,000 Fathers Reading!, retrieved 2011-02-04.
33. ^ Dads for Life, Fathers Read and Ride, Launch of 10,000 & More Fathers Reading!, 2010-06-05, retrieved 2011-01-28.
34. ^ Industrial & Services Co-operative Society (ISCOS), Family Day Celebration For ISCOS Members, 2010-06-20, retrieved 2011-02-04.
35. ^ Dads for Life, Celebrate Father's Day 2010: Runway Cycle and Skate, 2010-06-20, retrieved 2011-01-20.
36. ^ Redsports, SAFRA, Dads and kids to take adventure racing challenge at SAFRA AVventura, 2011-01-21, retrieved 2011-02-04.

External links

• Dads for Life Official website
• Association for Devoted & Active Men (ADAM) Official website
• Centre for Fathering Official website
• Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports Official website
• National Family Council Official website