SCIENCE EXPLAINS HOW MEN AND WOMEN PARENT DIFFERENTLY
A number of studies conducted over the years suggest that mothers and fathers approach parenthood differently. According to a 2007 article by Glenys Conrade and Robert Ho, men normally see their fathers as the authoritative parent and mothers as the more permissive parent, whereas with women it was the other way around. Other research demonstrated that, even when it comes to raising adolescents, mothers and fathers definitely have very distinct parenting styles.
Another study by the UK’s Parenting Research Center showed that dads can spend a lot less time discussing real-life issues such as relationships, growing up, and schoolwork. This can make them seem isolated and detached from their children. The study also demonstrated that fathers are less likely to be confrontational with their children.
The way a couple deals with their children can be affected by many factors. Research has shown that if a partner feels that their significant other is critical of or non-responsive to their parenting efforts, they may not perform that well as a parent. This was a common response seen in fathers in particular. Researchers adamantly conveyed that their findings show how the role of the mother is more or less still dominant in society when it comes to raising children.
THE ROLE OF A MOTHER AND A FATHER IN A SOCIETY
The study by the Parenting Research Center seemed to confirm this suspicion – in 84% of the cases, the household rules were set by the mother. This makes them more confident in their interactions with children, but also more likely to suffer from depression, feelings of unfulfillment, and anxiety about their family’s future.
Conditions such as postpartum depression play a significant factor in this as well. Over 70% of women will experience postpartum depression – or “baby blues” – to at least some degree after giving birth. According to the study, this can be directly linked to the fact that mothers are expected to take on the brunt of parenting immediately after the birth of the child.
Such studies do not imply that one parent is doing more work than the other, or one parent is more concerned than the other in situations of parenting. Every family operates on its own set of rules. Every couple works out between themselves just how important every duty is and separates those duties accordingly. Despite the pronounced differences in parenting styles between moms and dads, they both have something different and valuable to bring to the table of their children’s lives.
THE FATHER
Dads, on the one hand, are the ones who are normally tasked with bringing in the family income. This task is particularly emphasized right after the child is born – as maternity leave in most cases only extends to the one parent. In a nuclear family, fathers then project an image of stability. As the child grows, it is only natural that the father would be the more lenient parent. As a result, they may not be as close to their son or daughter as the mother. This easygoing nature establishes the father not just as an authoritative, bread-winner figure, but also as a friend. Fathers should want to be a parent children can always turn to.