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The Race to Be “Mas­ter Daddy” In­side Korea’s Dad-Only Par­ent­ing Boom

Com­pet­it­ive-Ef­fi­ciency Fath­er­ing: Pro­gress Without Par­ity

Tracking Korea’s 100 Fathers’ Group, the study finds dads measuring themselves against peers, tackling weekly “missions,” and chasing recognition—changes that make care more visible and, for many, more fun. However, turning fatherhood into a ranked sport can sideline dads with fewer resources and leave gendered divisions of labor untouched. The author calls this “competitive-efficiency fathering”—an on-ramp to involvement, not a route to gender equality. LINK