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Professor Anna Tarrant first became interested in researching fatherhood around 20 years ago, when she was an undergraduate student. She was curious about why there was so little to read around fathers and grandfathers given how important her own had been to her when she was growing up.
Anna's research career is now dedicated to recovering the stories of men in families with a vision to ultimately understand the relationships men and women across different generations have with one another.
Her research soon indicated that young fathers are the most marginalised of parents, with support services, including health and social care and statutory and voluntary sectors, not typically targeting their demographic.
As my research has developed over the years, and following a number of studies that I've undertaken, it has become increasingly clear to me that researching fathers illuminates wider truths about our societies and how they operate.
Professor Anna Tarrant
Professor of Sociology
In an effort to empower fathers aged 25 and under, and address the barriers to services that these groups experience, Anna launched and directs the UKRI funded Future Leaders Fellowship study, Following Young Fathers Further.
Anna explains: “Following Young Fathers Further is an ambitious and innovative study dedicated to ensuring that research with young fathers reflects their everyday lives while also informing how policy makers, professionals, and the public can respond more positively and constructively to the challenges they may encounter as parents.
“In co-creating knowledge and social interventions with young fathers and professionals, our work together more powerfully advocates for father-inclusive societies where children, parents, and families are supported to flourish and thrive."
Following Young Fathers Further is a research study involving close partnership working with young fathers and professionals to understand the experiences and support needs of fathers aged 25 and under, with the aim of promoting a more father-inclusive approach to support in the UK.
Explore the Project
The Following Young Fathers Further project has supported the development of innovative community-based interventions with and for young fathers including the Grimsby Dads Collective and DigiDAD. Both interventions promote father-inclusive and gender-equal parenting based on the lived experience of young dads and research.
The impact of the study has also been recognised nationally. In February 2024, Following Young Fathers Further was one of just three highly commended entries in the category of research and innovation at the UK Research and Innovation Future Leaders Fellowships Impact Awards. DigiDAD also secured two prestigious Children and Young People Now 2023 awards.
The Centre for Innovation in Fatherhood and Family Research (CFFR), based at the University of Lincoln, is the only hybrid research and innovation centre in the higher education sector with a dedicated focus on fatherhood and father-inclusion.
Explore the Centre
More recently, Anna has established the Centre for Innovation in Fatherhood and Family Research at Lincoln to continue advancing work that promotes father-inclusion. The centre brings together academics, multi-agency practitioners, and those with lived experience to address and understand pressing social issues that directly impact on the lives of families.
"We also welcome proposals for PhD studies at the Centre," says Anna. "Researchers will become part of a collective that promotes constructive, compassionate, and mutually supportive approaches that both support and challenge researchers and partners to achieve their highest potential."
Anna is also author and co-author of several books exploring marginalised fatherhoods including: Fathering and Poverty: Uncovering Men's Family Participation in Low-income Families (Policy Press, 2021), Men, Families and Poverty, with Professor Kahryn Hughes (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023) and The Dynamics of Young Fatherhood, with Emerita Professor Bren Neale (Policy Press, 2024).
You can find out more about Professor Anna Tarrant's research projects, publications, and teaching on her staff profile pages.
