To the extent that there's a wider and less gender-biased set of contraceptive devices, I think the kind of discussions couples are going to have are going to be very different from what they've had in the past. Marsiglio is just one of many researchers studying fatherhood. The area began growing in popularity in the mid-1980s and received an endorsement from the federal government when President Clinton created the National Fatherhood Initiative in 1995. The result has been a greater awareness of social policy affecting men's rights as fathers and their responsibility to their children. There are also a variety of social movements that are addressing fatherhood issues whether it be the Promise Keepers, the Nation of Islam or the father's rights movement.
Fatherhood is very much en vogue.
Not everyone agrees with some of these social movements. Many feminists feel that most men involved in the father's rights movement say they want rights to help raise their children but aren't willing to back up their words with action. Their argument is that these men are only asserting themselves because they want to maintain a sense of power. They want to control the decisions that affect the child but don't really have the child's best interest at heart. Marsiglio feels each side of the controversy has valid arguments and addresses the issues of gender politics in his book.