Lone fathers and the scales of justice: renegotiating masculinity after divorce

Surveys of lone fathers in the region of Newcastle (New South Wales) revealed views of hegemonic masculinity constructed within the urban-industrial environment and fostered by participation in the Lone Fathers Association. This view of masculinity was contested in the public terrain of the Australian Family Court. Lone fathers' defence of masculine privilege involved a derogatory "common-sense" discourse about women, who were constructed as either "tramps" or "gold-diggers." The breakdown of marriage brought about changes in expectations of lone fathers and others, leading to the forging of new identities in the continual process of the re-creation and re-negotiation of masculinities.