Abstract
The focus in this study is on Polish working immigrant fathers living in Norway with their families, and how they use and experience two family policy schemes, the parental leave (fathers quota) and the cash-for-care. In comparison with the parental leave, the cash-for-care is understood as a paradox in the Norwegian family policy, based on how they promote parents involvement in caring for children differently. There are few studies that has focused on how immigrant families use the cash-for-care scheme, which is one of the aims of this study. The study also aim at illustrating the affection the use of these schemes has on the father experience with care work, and how this affects the father-child relationship. The study is based on 10 depth interviews with Polish fathers, all living in Norway. In the light of theoretical perspectives, the study supports an important factor, that is the meaning for fathers learning to do care work for their children when they stay home alone. The study illustrates that the fathers who stay home alone on parental leave, develop a closer relationship to their children and experience caring for children as both challenging and rewarding. On the other hand, the findings indicate that fathers who use the parental leave together with their wives, experience caring for children in the means of assisting their wives, which affects the relationship with their children. The study illustrate an interesting finding in the use of cash-for-care. That this scheme contribute that the fathers are home alone with their children, because their wives are working afternoons. However this finding has an unfortunate result on the fathers marital relations and status.