The male factor: Fathers’ contributions to reproduction

Cambridge Reproduction Forum (Easter Term 2025)

In a field that has largely focused on mother-child relationships and the contributions of female organisms more generally, the potential of broadening discussions of reproduction to include the ‘male factor’ is clear.

 

 

 

This term’s Forum shines the spotlight on fathers’ reproductive contributions. We will discuss what it means to be a father in societies undergoing change, while reflecting on similarities and differences across species in the male role beyond supplying DNA.

Topics will span the father’s contribution from before fertilisation to after birth, including male contraception, paternal health during the pre-conception period and its impact on fertility and offspring health and the father’s journey through fertility treatment and pregnancy loss. What does it mean to be a father in worlds in which biological, behavioural and legal relationships can be complex? What are the social and financial implications in parental-leave policies and career progression dynamics of fathers playing a larger role in childcare? How do different species organise the division of labour between sexes?

PROGRAMME

15:15 - Welcome and introduction - Nick Hopwood (HPS and Co-Chair of Cambridge Reproduction)

INTERDISCIPLINARY DIALOGUE (1) 

What is the father's contribution before birth?
Erica Watson (PDN), Rosanna Dent (HPS) and Geraldine Jowett (Gurdon Institute)

INTERDISCIPLINARY DIALOGUE (2)

Fatherhood and fertility
Natalie Smith (Cambridge IVF) and Jonathan Luwagga (Fertility Alliance)

16:30 - TEA BREAK
 
FLASH TALKS

Chair: Isabel Marchand-Casas (Pathology)

• Matthew Neville (Wellcome Sanger Institute)
• Ashley Moffett (Pathology)

INTERDISCIPLINARY DIALOGUE (3)

What is the father's contribution after birth?
Helen Dolling (Centre for Child, Adolescent and Family Research), Matt Jordan (Law) and Shannon Philip (Sociology)
 
18:00 - Drinks and networking reception

Registration open on Eventbrite