20 May Essex Based Father Contributes to New Book – DAD: Untold stories of fatherhood, love, mental health and masculinity
DAD is a deeply moving and inspiring collection of stories that represent the diversity of modern fatherhood and seeks to start a conversation that challenges the traditions associated with masculinity.
Supported by various organisations, charities and football clubs including Pregnant Then Screwed, Carers UK, Kidscape, UN Women UK and QPR FC and with pre-publication coverage on Times Radio, BBC Radio London and The Guardian, DAD is set to be THE defining book on modern fatherhood.
Including 20 powerful and defiant stories about postnatal depression, becoming a new dad during the pandemic, miscarriage, widowhood, stillbirth, co-parenting, childbirth trauma, work-life balance, new dads at work, shared parental leave, being a stay-at-home dad, gay fatherhood and surrogacy, being a stepdad, black fatherhood, raising a child of dual heritage, being a single dad, faith and fatherhood, raising a child with autism, gender stereotypes and more.
This is a ground-breaking book. A movement. Never before have a group of men come together to bare their souls and speak so openly and honestly about their fatherhood experiences. This book aims to encourage better dialogue between colleagues, friends, and especially within families; between husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, dads and children. We know that men and dads don’t always have the space to speak openly about their experiences. We believe DAD can change the world and move forward the conversations around fatherhood, masculinity, mental health and gender equality.
DAD has a diverse range of contributors who represent all aspects of race, class, age, and sexuality. Each dad has written in their raw and authentic voice. This was extremely important to make sure underrepresented voices, ordinary people whose stories often go unheard, are now listened to and part of the mainstream conversation. These are ordinary men, being extraordinary by sharing their story with the world. Our contributors have come together, from different walks of life, because they believe in the shared purpose, vision and movement.
Each chapter will take you on a journey; you will be immersed in that dad’s world. Underlying each of the dad’s stories is a persistent and driving force of love, defiance, humility and strength to be the best fathers they can be for their families.
Our call to action is for more open conversations, like the ones you are about to read.
WHY IS DAD ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT NOW IN 2021?
Men’s mental health: The mental health of men is still overlooked with suicide remaining the biggest killer of men under the age of 45, and 12.5% of men in the UK suffering from depression and anxiety. This has been further compounded by the pandemic and lockdown. New dads are particularly vulnerable as financial and work pressures coupled with a huge life change can have a significant impact. DAD is a cathartic book that will help men and dads realise they are not alone. DAD will encourage more open conversations around fatherhood and contribute to better mental health.
Gender Equality, gendered parenting roles and the pandemic: The coronavirus pandemic and lockdown has had a prolific impact on the way we live and work. There has been some positive progress on the collective role of dads in the UK, with fathers taking on more caring responsibilities than ever before. In 2015, the ONS found that men were spending 39% of the time that women spent on childcare, compared to 64% during the first lockdown in 2020. However, women still do the large majority of childcare and have paid the price in the pandemic with mothers being more likely than fathers to be furloughed and at a higher risk of job losses. As a collective we need to do more to challenge gendered parenting roles. We need to move away from the concept that caring is for women and being the main breadwinner is for men – those outdated stereotypes are damaging for everyone: men, women and children. This book will help men, women and families think about how they can do things differently and strive towards gender equality.
Father’s Day: Sunday 20th June 2021 marks Father’s Day. DAD arrives just in time and serves as the perfect prompt for a conversation around fatherhood, as well being the perfect gift for dads in the UK and around the world.
WHO ARE THE TEAM BEHIND DAD?
DAD is a compilation of stories from the MusicFootballFatherhood.com (MFF) team. MFF, founded by Elliott Rae, is the UK’s most exciting parenting & lifestyle platform for men. Called the ‘Dad’s version of Mumsnet’ by the BBC, MFF is the online community for fathers. Through blogs, podcasts and events, MFF aims to increase positive representation of diverse dads, champion equal parenting and provide a space and community for dads to have open conversations around fatherhood.
DAD has been curated by Elliott Rae. As well as founding MFF, Elliott is also a powerful speaker and an experienced Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) leader with specific expertise in gender and race. As one of the leading voices in the UK for fatherhood and masculinity in the workplace, Elliott regularly works with organisations and staff networks to help support working fathers and parents, and work towards equal parenting and gender equality, through #EngagingDads workshops and talks. Elliott has held senior D&I leadership roles, most recently as Head of D&I delivery at HM Treasury. The United Nations recently recognised Elliott’s work and he is now the proud recipient of the UN Women UK’s #HeForShe ‘Changemaker of the Year’ award for his work on gender equality. Elliott has written for various mainstream publications and even had his work shared online by none other than Dwayne Johnson AKA ‘The Rock’!
The MFF team crowdfunded to bring DAD to life, raising £4,000 in 36 hours and over £12,000 in just two weeks.
