Joseph Pleck
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Joseph H. Pleck has been a leading fatherhood researcher since the early 1980's, bringing a breadth of experience to the proposed project. With Michael Lamb, Pleck originated the concept of "paternal involvement," one of the most fundamental constructs in contemporary research on fathering, and developed the widely-used "four-factor" model of the sources of paternal involvement. His 1997 and 2004 chapters are the most frequently cited reviews of research and theory concerning levels, sources, and consequences of father involvement. He has analyzed time diary and time estimate data on paternal and maternal involvement in the 1975-76 Study of Time Use and the 1977 Quality of Employment Survey.
Pleck has particular expertise with the National Survey of Adolescent Males (NSAM) longitudinal survey program. He has been Co-PI on NSAM since its inception in 1988. He has conducted analyses of male fertility behavior (sexual activity, contraceptive use), with a particular focus on the role of masculinity ideology. Pleck is also editor of the Fathering: A Journal of Research, Theory, and Practice About Men As Fathers.
