Luke and Susie: Jeff Cookston, Ph.D

<p>Fathering has a lot to offer a man. <a href= "http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/raising_happiness/post/fathers_day_2012">Fathers are happier</a> and derive more meaning from everyday activities than men without children. But fatherhood can also be a struggle. A man can be a biological father without doing much actual parenting—or a breadwinner who doesn’t do much childcare and housework—but many men today strive to be all things at once: father and son, man and husband, breadwinner and caregiver.</p> <p>Jeff Cookston’s research addresses the family system with specialized attention to the role of marital conflict, fathering, and divorce. He is currently analyzing a 12-year longitudinal dataset on fathering and preparing grants to study the causes and consequences of divorce.</p>