Vaterschaft in Männerbranchen: zwischen neuen Arbeitszeitkulturen und traditionellem Erwerbsideal

Organisations in male-dominated sectors tend to be less focused on reconciling employment and care work. Yet some men are currently redefining work and family life. What approaches with regard to facilitating or hindering involved fatherhood can currently be observed in male-dominated organisations? Based on an interpretive approach to organisations, this article presents the findings of a qualitative empirical study conducted in Austria. They highlight how organisations construct short absences as the normal case when it comes to men’s parental leave and how they mainly allow for working time to be adapted within the full-time employment model. The same goes for shift work, which is often considered to be particularly incompatible with issues around reconciling work and family life. The findings also show how fatherhood can contribute to legitimising the desire to distance oneself from the world of paid work. Overall, isolated changes in working time and organisational culture can be observed in male-dominated sectors, but these are being constrained within narrow limits by organisations and employees to avoid interfering with the male ideal of employment.