Star fathers separate the men from the boys

Whether known as the Blair Titch Project, Yogi Blair or Tony's New Labour Pain, little Leo Blair has put fatherhood on the public agenda in a big way. His arrival, however, highlights the generally confused and negative nature of public policy and debate in Ireland on the topic.

Even before the birth, Blair broke new ground for a male public representative in stating that having this baby was more important to him than being Prime Minister. And he only had to see his new son to come over all "Blairy-eyed" and reverse his decision not to take parental leave. Blair is the most powerful representative yet of a startling new trend of men being proud to be seen in public in their role as fathers. The sight of Chelsea captain Dennis Wise accepting the FA Cup while holding his baby son confirms this. It was proud new fathers such as Mick Galwey, of Munster rugby fame, singer Ronan Keating and Manchester United's David Beckham who set the trend. Now you'd think this dramatic shift would be universally welcomed.

But no. The Irish media, in particular, have it in for new fathers. A defining moment was Kathryn Holmquist's Father's Day article in The Irish Times last June, where she wrote that, "Boasting about your role as a new father has become as socially redeeming as a stint in rehab". The likes of Beckham and Keating were presented as cynical manipulators, while their lovely babies, complete with baby slings, were "one of this season's trendiest accessories". "How committed are these fathers, really?", she asked, without presenting a scrap of evidence to suggest they were not.

Brenda Power has continued the onslaught in the Sunday Tribune, regarding Beckham - who had just been dropped by Manchester United and fined for missing training to look after his sick child - as a fraud.

Women have, of course, been struggling to manage care work for generations and have rightly criticised men for not doing enough. But now when men appear to be taking greater responsibility they are ridiculed even more. Since the birth of his son, Tony Blair has been accused of using fatherhood to boost his public image.

While we need to be careful not to invest these "celebrity" fathers with heroism, how do we encourage men to be active in hands-on parenting? Our answer is to celebrate this new development and invite more fathers to speak publicly about what they feel they do well; what they would like to do better; and what they need to enable them to do it.

The likes of Blair are indispensable role models in making fatherhood a corporate issue. While all men have it within their grasp to create an active fathering role, changes in workplaces and organisations have to come from the top. Prof Graeme Russell of Macquarie University, Sydney, has developed a model of working with managers in the corporate sector that enables men to talk openly at work about the kind of fathers they wish to be, so that more family-friendly policies can be developed.

Research is also showing that the men most active in caring for their children are the most successful in their jobs. They are better time-managers, better able to communicate emotionally, and make more balanced colleagues and bosses.

A huge part of the problem is that men simply do not discuss fatherhood. It is time for us to speak for ourselves and make fatherhood a social issue.

It won't be easy. We know from experience how men are pulled in different directions, and what a struggle it is to choose family over work. Being in a weekly men's group has helped us not only by providing support, but by challenging us to clarify what being a "good enough" father means. This fits with new approaches to fatherhood (as shown in Kieran McKeown's, Harry Ferguson's and Dermot Rooney's book, Changing Fathers? Fatherhood and Family Life in Modern Ireland, Collins Press), which are trying to move beyond the "deficit model" of men as uncaring, uninterested, uncommitted, unable to father. This focus tends to be on what men may have to sacrifice (power, status, freedom) to be adequate fathers. The emphasis should be on what men have to gain from active fatherhood.

This involves recognising that men have the capacity to care for children and the work of fatherhood represents a personal development opportunity for them. Caring is good for us. This does not mean letting men off the hook by ignoring issues of fairness and responsibility, but is rather about trying to achieve equality by providing what men need to become good fathers. This is an ethical stance which tries to help men resolve personal dilemmas and live with integrity in their relationships with their children and partners.

The real test of "celebrity fathers" is the degree to which they take real responsibility for childcare. Nevertheless, they are still helping to make fatherhood and family as publicly valued as sport and other traditional masculine interests. We are already finding it easier to speak with other men, and even with teenage boys, about responsible fatherhood, and we have such people as Tony Blair and David Beckham to thank for helping us score that important goal.

Harry Ferguson and Fergus Hogan work in the department of applied social studies, University College, Cork. Their research into Irish fathers is being funded by the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs.