Late twentieth century social movements questioned the distribution of roles in the family, and favored a wider father participation in child care. To adopt is a possibility of becoming a father. This study aimed to investigate the meanings about fatherhood which emerge in the process of adopting a baby. The network of meanings theoretical-methodological perspective was used, together with studies on adoption, gender and family. Six interviews made with two married men who adopted babies were thoroughly read to establish some relevant meanings which emerged from the corpus. The analysis showed that those fathers meant the child as a "continuity" of themselves and as a "natural" consequence of marriage. Both emphasized their function as resources providers and positioned themselves as mother's "helpers" in the care for their child. The adoption appears as a solution for infertility. Revelation is considered necessary, but difficult. Those fathers are happy with their role.
fatherhood; adoption; network of meanings; family
