Family life and the role of fathers within the family have changed radically over the past few decades. A decline in the traditional 'nuclear' family model, with increasing divorce rates and increased re-partnering, has occurred at the same time as men have become more involved in the care of children. The changes in men's family roles are mirrored by changes in their economic activity and working patterns. The classic model where there was a 'male breadwinner' in full time employment and a 'female caregiver' not in paid work is no longer the norm and the changing cultural expectations on men to be more actively engaged in the care of children have influenced the development of work-family reconciliation policy. There is a real need for more information about fathers; whilst we know that the picture of fatherhood in the UK is diverse, there is no single comprehensive source of information about men as fathers, their contribution and role in the family, involvement in childrearing, economic activity and contribution, relationship with children they do not live with and stepchildren they live with, and how these life patterns interact. This study will bridge this information gap and establish the UK's foremost analysis about the lives of fathers, drawn from secondary analysis of large-scale datasets; Understanding Society, the European Labour Force Survey, the European Social Survey and the British Household Panel Study. Although principally focused on fathers in the UK, the study will also include international data to enable comparisons with countries with different labour market contexts and different social policies around the family and work. In addition to providing the first comprehensive profiling of fathers in twenty-first century Britain, the study will: -Examine which are factors associated with differences in fathers' paid work and family life - such as age and educational status of the father, number of children and partner's employment. -Look at time trends in fathers' working patterns since the late 1990s - to explore whether changes in UK policy and the recession have led to a shift in how households arrange their paid work and care. -Compare the UK with other European countries - to try and unpick which factors affect fathers' working patterns and levels of work-life conflict. The study will be of benefit to both academic and non-academic audiences; early discussions with key stakeholders have shown that the study would be valuable in satisfying existing information gaps on fathers and informing policy development and practice. To facilitate the impact of this study we propose a range of written outputs and dissemination events including: publications in academic journals; an online resource which will house all the main research findings and will structure the information around the needs of the diverse stakeholders; a launch event for the study's findings and for the online tool; targeted briefings aimed at specific types of stakeholders; and presentations at UK and international academic conferences.