In this episode, evolutionary anthropologist Dr Anna Machin challenges everything you thought you knew about fatherhood. From hormone shifts and brain changes to the unique ways dads build attachment, Anna unpacks why fathers are wired to be caretakers, not just breadwinners, and how their involvement shapes resilience, social skills, and mental health in children.

Kate and Rachel dive into:

• The evolutionary roots of fatherhood and why caregiving, not earning, is innate.

• How dads uniquely “scaffold” children’s growth and prepare them for the world.

• The importance of secure attachment, sensitive parenting, and playful involvement.

• Why societal norms and workplace cultures, not biology, often prevent dads from fully engaging.

• How couples can use pregnancy to prepare for parenthood, maintain relationship strength, and navigate the early years together.

This episode is essential listening for any parent, partner, or parent-to-be who wants to understand the science behind equal parenting, and how to put it into practice in today’s world.

Dr Anna Machin is an evolutionary anthropologist, writer and broadcaster who is world renowned for her work into the science and anthropology of human love and fatherhood.  She is the author of the Life of Dad: The Making of the Modern Father and Why We Love: The Definitive Guide to our Most Fundamental Need.  She has written for The New York Times, The Observer and The Guardian among others, works regularly with the BBC and national and international broadcast media and recently appeared on The Diary of a CEO podcast.  She is the lead scientist for the new dating app LoveJack.

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Find out more about your hosts Kate Mangino and Rachel Childs.