Complicating Gender Norms: Straight versus Gay and Queer Fathers in Student Affairs

Based on interviews with 24 student affairs professionals, this article uses ideal worker norms and hegemonic masculinity as theoretical guides to compare the ways in which straight versus gay and queer fathers working in student affairs navigate the demands of the profession and those of parenthood. While all fathers reported feeling the demands of the field to work long hours at the expense of their families, gay and queer fathers received more latitude from colleagues to be involved fathers, in part because they were unable to rely on wives to perform work in the home.