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Pathways to Impact: The example of our research partnership with Working Families. Colette Fagan and Helen Norman University of Manchester 9 October 2017 TRIAD Researcher Workshop, 9-12 October 2017
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Pathways to Impact: The example of our research partnership with Working Families Colette Fagan and Helen Norman University of Manchester 9 October 2017 TRIAD Researcher Workshop, 9-12 October 2017 Transition to parenthood in a cross-cultural context: Pathways to Impact University of Manchester, UK
Mind the Gap – gender inequalities research in the School of Social Sciences (SoSS) http://www.socialsciences.manchester.ac.uk/research/research-on-film/
Our research focus: Gender inequalities in employment and household work • European comparative analysis and policy engagement • REF impact case study for sociology. Further details at: http://www.socialsciences.manchester.ac.uk/sociology/research/impact/informing-international-employment-policies/
Presentation outline • The project genesis – prior research • The project: Which fathers are involved in looking after their children? • Working Families - building a partnership • Lessons for building partnerships • Potential impact -Why is the research important? • Pathway to impact devised with Working Families • Communicating to a wider audience • Quantitative analysis • Qualitative project • Summary and conclusions
The project genesis – prior research • Our European comparative research on men’s care roles/household division of work and working-time (e.g. Fagan 2010, Fagan and Norman 2013) • Helen Norman (2010) ‘Involved Fatherhood’: the conditions associated with childcare and housework’, University of Manchester doctoral thesis • Post-thesis publications (Norman, Elliot and Fagan 2014; Fagan and Norman 2014; 2016; Norman 2014)
The Project Which fathers are involved in looking after their children? Identifying the conditions associated with paternal involvement • Award: ESRC Secondary Data Analysis Initiative (Phase 3) • Award holders: Dr Helen Norman (PI), Professor Colette Fagan (Co-I), Professor Mark Elliot (Co-I), School of Social Sciences, University of Manchester. Project partner:Working Families (http://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/). • Dates: 1 February 2016 – 31 July 2017 • URL: http://projects.socialsciences.manchester.ac.uk/involved-fathers/
3 key design elements are the focus of our presentation • Project partner: Working Families • Effective communication of statistical results to reach a wide audience • Longitudinal analysis of 5 sweeps of the Millennium Cohort Study • Qualitative research to inform quantitative analysis • 30 Qualitative interviews with fathers http://www.cmist.manchester.ac.uk/research/projects/which-fathers-are-looking-after-their-children/
Working Families • Working Families is the UK’s leading charity organisation dedicated to advancing policies to enhance work-life balance. • Run a helpline to advise parents and carers about their employment rights • Conduct research and run campaigns • Support and advise employers about how to create inclusive workplaces which encourage work-life balance for all • http://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/
How we built our partnership with Working Families • Initial collaboration and relationship building via an ESRC funded seminar series http://www.esrc-work-life-seminars.org/ • Fagan in Lewis, S. et al (2016)
Developing a partnership • Ideas Pitch - we asked to meet to discuss our plans and gain advice (with Jonathan Swan, Policy and Research Officer at Working Families): • Our research ideas and plans for an ESRC grant application • Why we thought this was relevant for WF • Outline resource request (modest in this example) • Explored points of connection with WF’s interests • Work and family policy agenda • Policy context – engaging fathers • Shared Parental Leave, Flexible working • Childcare • Advice work with parents and employers • Contributions to WF’s work programme
Lessons for building partnerships? • Do the groundwork • Identify who you want to partner with, and why • Make an initial approach • Easier via networks and conversations at events rather than a ‘cold call’ approach • Has much in common with the practical research skills of negotiating access to a busy person/organisation • Ideas Pitch – succinct, engaging and headlines • Your ideas (what) • Relevance for the organisation you are approaching (why) • Initial plan for how to deliver the project (how) • Outline research request (Modest contribution in kind? Larger contribution in kind? Cash?) • Be flexible - refine and adapt project plan to build on points of connection and mutual interests • Research questions • Pathway to impact plan (events, blogs, briefing papers…)
Potential Impact: why is the research important? Our findings will… • Inform policy debates concerning parenting, child wellbeing and development, the rights and responsibilities of fathers and ‘work-life balance’. • Contribute to employment policy and workplace innovations by generating new knowledge about how men and women’s employment hours and schedules can enable or hinder father’s involvement at home • Help employers to provide practical innovations to facilitate work-family reconciliation
Pathway to Impact: devised with Working Families • Policy briefings and blogs • Policy@Manchester and Working Families • Related briefings for WF that extend beyond the immediate project focus (profile building) • Planned presentations at non-academic events (as well as academic dissemination plans) • Working Families programme of employer-led and policy focused events (breakfast briefings, conferences, etc.) • Dissemination beyond WF to other key organisations and our networks e.g. Equality and Human Rights Commission, TUC, European Commission’s European Network of Experts on Gender Equality, Eurofound • Press releases, with support from the University of Manchester’s Press Office • Articles for media (e.g. The Guardian?)
Results:Communicating the findings to non-specialist audiences
What influences paternal involvement at age 3? Data • Millennium Cohort Study (sample = 9,189 heterosexual two-parent households) • Sweep one (2001-2) – child is aged 9 months • Sweep two (2003-4) – child is aged 3 years Measure of ‘paternal involvement’ • Who is mostly around & generally looks after the child (at age 3)? • 26% shared carers; 73% secondary carers; (1% primary carers– removed) Method • Longitudinal logistic regression Sources: Norman, Elliot and Fagan (2014); Fagan and Norman (2016)
Connelly, S. et al. (2016): Britain’s slow movement to a Gender Egalitarian Equilibrium: Parents and Employment in the UK 2001 – 2013, Work, Employment and Society
What makes fathers involved (i.e. share childcare) when child is 3 years old? *p <0.05; **p <0.01; ***p <0.001
What makes fathers involved (i.e. share childcare) when child is 3 years old? *p <0.05; **p <0.01; ***p <0.001
What makes fathers involved when the child is aged 3? • Sharing childcare in the first year of the child’s life • Previous employment hours of the father and mother (worked 9 months after the child’s birth) • Mothers’ (full-time) employment hours when the child is aged 3 • Fathers’ working short/standard full-time hours
Summary and conclusion Building partnerships • Identify who you want to partner and why • Ensure ideas are succinct, engaging • Be flexible Develop an impact plan • Why is the research important? • Dissemination of results with partner and to other organisations (e.g. briefings, blogs, events) Communicating findings • Know your audience! • Present data in a simple way • Summarise headline findings
References • Project URL: http://projects.socialsciences.manchester.ac.uk/involved-fathers/ • Fagan, C. and Norman, H. (2013) ‘Men and gender equality: tackling gender equality in family roles and in social care jobs’ in F. Bettio, J. Plantenga and M. Smith (Eds) Gender and the European Labour Market, Routledge: Oxon, UK. • Fagan, C., Norman, H. (2016): ‘What makes fathers involved? An exploration of the longitudinal influence of fathers’ and mothers’ employment on father’s involvement in looking after their pre-school children in the UK’ in Crespi, I., Ruspini, E. (ed): Balancing work and family in a changing society: the father’s perspective, Palgrave MacMillan: Basingstoke • Norman, H. and Fagan, C. (2017) What makes fathers involved in their children’s upbringing? Working Families Work Flex Blog, 20 January 2017: https://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/workflex-blog/father-involvement/ • Norman, H., Watt, L., Fagan, C. (2017) What should mums and dads do? Changes in attitudes towards parenting, Working Families Work Flex Blog, 27 March 2017: https://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/workflex-blog/what-should-mums-and-dads-do-changes-in-attitudes-towards-parenting/ • Norman, H., Elliot, M. and Fagan, C. (2014) ‘Which fathers are the most involved in taking care of their toddlers in the UK? An investigation of the predictors of paternal involvement’, Community, Work & Family, 17:2, 163-180