Just published: Medgyesi, M., Albert, F., Orosz, A., & Sztáray Kézdy, É. (2026). Who supports involved fatherhood? Structural and individual predictors across 26 countries. International Journal of Sociology, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207659.2026.2730510

Our study focuses on ideals regarding paternal roles by identifying support for involved fatherhood and presenting variations in its acceptance in the light of individual socio-demographic characteristics and features of the macro-level cultural and institutional context by using data on 26 countries from the 2022 ISSP survey. We defined support toward involved fatherhood using three novel items of the questionnaire and found substantial variation between countries regarding this attitude. Using multilevel regression analysis, we identified sociodemographic groups where the support for involved fatherhood was higher (e.g. women and those with tertiary education). Confirming our expectations, we also found that support for involved fatherhood proved to be stronger in countries with lower gender inequality in the labor market and family policies promoting maternal employment, such as a higher participation rate in early childhood education and care.