Sir, - I was very interested in the report by Kathryn Holmquist (The Irish Times, February 2nd) on a book by the biologists Robin Baker and Elizabeth Oram in which the positive aspects of lone parenting by a mother are acknowledged and the necessity for the presence of a father is shown to be exaggerated in Western society.
The only surprise to me was that the findings are controversial. A superficial acquaintance with various anthropological studies is sufficient to convince one that the role of fathers in Western society is very much contrived, and has evolved to ensure the economic well-being of the dependent mother and children. Creating a fatherhood role for young men is also necessary because of the consequences for society of disaffected young men without a purpose in life. Just because large numbers of women are prepared to facilitate the socialisation of the male by marrying them, the choice of women to remain single and to have children should not be seen as anything but a valid alternative.
It is quite obvious that as women become more economically independent, the attraction of marriage becomes less, and men will have to expand their role beyond that of a meal ticket in order to be viewed as a positive addition to the family unit. For instance, if men seriously wish to play a significant role in parenting they will have to join with women in ensuring that the workplace is family-friendly and insist that provisions are made to facilitate their parenting role without the fear that being a responsible parent will be viewed as being a less than responsible employee.
The ideal for a child is to grow up with two parents in a spirit of equality and partnership, but women have long realised that going it alone is an infinitely better option to accepting the subservient role and loss of autonomy which is so often the lot of a wife. - Yours, etc.,
Richmond Court, Dartry, Dublin 6.