愛之「物」語：從家庭的物質文化探究父職身分認同與實踐

Abstract

父親傳統上以物質提供者為優先，現代因雙薪家庭普遍要求父親打理家庭與照顧孩子，使得父親的職責不再僅是工作賺錢而有了更複雜的意涵與職責。既有的父職研究常以母職為標竿，期許父親參與照顧孩子的生活以及家務分工，多以參與時間的觀點來捕捉父職盡責的程度。本研究企圖跳脫過去父職研究聚焦於父親參與的時間或計量性框架，從家庭物質文化的角度切入，並從家庭生活脈絡探究父親對其父職身分認同的意義以及實踐過程。家庭的物質文化即家庭使用物質並與之互動產生的現象，親職實踐的過程存在多種的物質媒介與資源的使用來教導孩子以及培養關係，而既有的父職研究較無對此觀點的探討。研究者透過便利取樣以半結構訪談蒐集資料，並以紮根理論編碼分析結果。研究參與者以中產白領雙薪家庭為多數，呈現9位年齡分布35-56歲父親教養孩子的生活點滴。研究結果可依兩大主軸歸納，一、父職實踐內涵之多重性：父親不再只是家計負擔者如此單薄的概念，而是兼具須要維繫品質與陪伴時間的親子關係經營者，教導孩子觀念規矩與做榜樣的教育實踐家，以及賺錢並妥善分配資源，為孩子保障經濟與教養資源，提供生活環境與餵養食物的養育責任者。過去家計負擔者的認同已經不足以回應研究資料中父親所表達的稱職之意涵，父職具有更多面的身分認同與實踐過程。二、物質文化觀點與父職實踐：研究者透過物交換與階級慣習捕捉家庭物質文化之概念，本研究指涉的愛之「物」語包含（一）物質與管教實踐：關注父親於生活中安排環境或是運用物品，引導孩子建立價值觀念、培養習慣與規矩。（二）教養投資與活動：依父親之財力與知識為基礎，透過教養外包、親自指導以及接觸人脈資源的方式，培養興趣與軟、硬實力，使孩子更具競爭力。（三）消費與家庭儀式：父親透過物品消費與家庭儀式，藉此培養父子共同擁有的情誼，也增添家中融洽的氣氛凝聚家庭向心力。這些物質媒介滲透在親職實踐的過程而得以換取孩子的各種福祉，包含養成健康的作息與飲食習慣、管理欲望以及合宜的金錢物質觀念、能力的提升與待人處世之價值觀以及滿足情感需求與家庭認同感。同時，中產階級父親對於物質使用的偏好與習性在無形中延續至子女身上，教導孩子理性消費與延遲滿足的習慣，培養口語表達與權利認知感，以及人脈建立與經濟資本的累積與傳承。

Father roles have been recognized as breadwinner, but now fathers are required to participate in family work and rear their children. In other words, the role of father is no longer just working to make money, but has more complex meanings and responsibilities nowadays. Fathering literatures usually focused on the amount of time of father involvement and compared fathers with mothers, expecting fathers could take more time on caring children and housework. This study attempts to explore fathering identity and practice from domestic material culture perspective rather than traditional quantitative framework. The material culture in family refers to the phenomenon that the family uses and interacts with materials. There are a variety of material resources used to teach children and keep relationships in the context of daily life, but existing fathering research has little view on this discussion.This study applied in-depth interviews with semi-structure and convenience sampling and carried out 9 respondents with an age distribution of 35-56 years old and mostly from middle-class, white-collar, and double-income families. The data were analyzed by grounded theory. The research results can be summarized in two sections. (1) The variety of fathering practice: The role of father is more than a money earner to keep steady in economy and to provide residence place, but a relationship manager who spends time with children and maintain quality in interaction, and an educator with the concept of setting rules and being role models, as well as a nurturer responsible to feed food and take care of children. The identity of family breadwinner is not enough to respond to the meaning of “doing good father” expressed by fathers in this research.(2) Material culture perspectives and fathering practices: The"thing" of love in this study refers to three aspects: (a) discipline with material, focusing on how fathers arrange the environments or use objects to guide children to establish values, habits, and rules. (b) investment in educational activities, showing how the father's class position based on financial, network and cultural resources to make children more competitive. (c) consumption on family rituals, displaying how fathers use goods to celebrate festivals to promote parent-child relationship. In this perspective, children can exchange for various well-being, including growing up healthy and developing good habits, knowing appropriate money concepts and how to manage desires, improving abilities in academic performance or skills in enrichment program, learning how to behave with others, and increasing a sense of belonging. Besides, the habitus of middle-class fathers are inherited to their children, like rational consumption and delayed gratification, oral fluency, and a sense of entitlement.