Summary and recommendations for public

Our goal in this volume has been to assess the influence of contemporary so- cial and legal practices on paternal participation in child care; to appraise and evaluate the consequences of increased involvement on mothers, fathers, chil- dren, and society at large; and to suggest ways in which societies could move toward providing a greater range of options for fathers. Our aim has been to con- duct an analysis that is sensitive to individual and cultural differences in the aspi- rations and values of parents; consequently, we have striven to avoid value judg- ments wherever possible, and to identify them as such when discussion is unavoidable. In addition, we have emphasized the need to make increased pater- nal participation possible for those who want it, rather than prescribing high fa- ther involvement as a universal goal or panacea. Two general conclusions emerge from the analyses included in this volume.