Improving relationships between dads and daughters…it’s a walk in the park

A simple walk in the park could hold the key to unlocking a close and loving relationship between fathers and daughters, a new study has shown.

Research carried out by the University of Essex’s Dr John Day has found taking part in or just discussing physical activity provides a common ground for the two to develop deep emotional connections and transform the stereotype of distant dads.

The study found that a societal shift in what it means to be a dad, combined with increased focus to exercise to maintain health, has led to physical activity providing a platform for the relationship to thrive.

Dr Day, of the School of Health and Social Care, said: “My research shows daughters have always sought for a way to grow closer to their dads, while this has only recently become more of a focus for fathers.

“From a father's perspective, physical activity can simultaneously function as a method of upholding a masculine identity while performing one-to-one parenting, so they feel much more comfortable in this environment.”

The study, published in Families, Relationships and Societies journal, involved interviews with 14 women born between 1950 and 1994.

Those born in the 1950s largely discussed how their dads fulfilled the role as the provider for the family, and remained somewhat on the periphery as a parent.

But daughters born in the 1980s and 1990s were raised in social conditions that allowed them to realise and build more emotionally connected relationships with their fathers.

They recalled stories of how they had bonded with their dads while taking part in activities such as walking, swimming and cycling.

Both the health and enjoyment benefits of physical activity were raised by the younger women taking part in the study, but some also spoke of how they distanced themselves from any attempts from their dad to make the activities competitive.

Despite the transformation, those interviewed indicated the relationship between daughters and dads was still structured around the preferences of the latter.

“Key factors associated with fatherhood that have enabled this transformation are the increased prominence of involved fatherhood ideals and physical activity becoming a parenting and health-related practice that fathers feel comfortable performing and talking about,” said Dr Day.

“Crucial to this is the UK context, where intimate interdependence is indicative of sought after relationships and a public health context where physical activity participation is championed to reduce non-communicable disease.”