Help or share. An analysis on the care practices of young parents in a popular neighborhood of La Plata

Abstract

In the framework of a doctoral research that addressed the fatherhood experiences of young men, this article analyzes the care practices of young fathers in a popular neighborhood based on two constructed care models (auxiliary model and shared model). The interviews were conducted with forty young male parents residing in a popular neighborhood of La Plata (Buenos Aires, Argentina) during the period 2013-2015 based on an intentional sample selected by snowball, based on the criteria of accessibility and heterogeneity. Although it is possible to find greater involvement of young men in care, the ultimate responsible in both models of care are women (mainly couples, but also mothers-in-law, sisters and neighbors of young men). The young people interviewed care more, but they are unable to break with the classic sexual division of labor and decentralize women as main or expert caregivers.

Keywords
fatherhoods; youth; care; co-responsibility; social vulnerability.