Skip to main content
Log in

Mothers, Fathers, Gender Role, and Time Parents Spend with Their Children

  • Published:
Sex Roles Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

To examine the relationships among the sex of the parent, gender role, and the time parents spend with their children, 272 parents completed the Bem Sex-Role Inventory, a questionnaire about the time spent with their children, and a demographics questionnaire. Analyses indicated that neither the sex of the parent nor gender role was predictive of the amount of time parents were spending in direct interaction with or being accessible to their children. The sex of the parent, qualified by earning status, was predictive of the level of responsibility parents had for child-related activities. Further, the sex of the parent, qualified by femininity, was predictive of parental satisfaction with level of child-related responsibilities. These results emphasize the importance of examining parental characteristics in relation to the time parents spend with their children and their levels of responsibility for child-related activities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allen, S. M., & Hawkins, A. J. (1999). Maternal gatekeeping: Mothers' beliefs and behaviors that inhibit greater father involvement in family work. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 61, 199-212.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barnett, R. C., & Baruch, G. K. (1987). Determinants of father's participation in family work. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 49, 29-40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baruch, G. K., & Barnett, R. C. (1986). Fathers' participation in family work and children's sex-role attitudes. Child Development, 57, 1210-1223.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beitel, A. H., & Parke, R. D. (1998). Paternal involvement in infancy: The role of maternal and paternal attitudes. Journal of Family Psychology, 12, 268-288.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bem, S. L. (1974). The measurement of psychological androgyny. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 42, 155-162.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonney, J. F., Kelley, M. L., & Levant, R. F. (1999). A model of fathers' behavioral involvement in child care in dual-earner families. Journal of Family Psychology, 13, 401-415.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bryant, W. K., & Zick, C. D. (1996). An examination of parent–child shared time. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 58, 227-237.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coltrane, S. (1996). Family man: Fatherhood, house work, and gender equity. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crouter, A. C., Perry-Jenkins, M., Hutson, T. L., & McHale, S. M. (1987). Processes underlying father involvement in dual-earner and single-earner families. Developmental Psychology, 23, 431-440.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeLuccie, M. F. (1995). Mothers as gatekeepers: A model of maternal mediators of father involvement. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 152, 225-238.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deutsch, F. M. (1993). Husbands at home: Predictors of paternal participation in childcare and housework. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 1154-1166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Easterbrooks, M. A., & Goldberg, W. A. (1984). Toddler development in the family: Impact of father involvement and parenting characteristics. Child Development, 55, 740-752.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ehrenberg, M. F., Gearing-Small, M., Hunter, M. A., & Small, B. J. (2001). Childcare task division and shared parenting attitudes in dual-earner families with young children. Family Relations, 50, 143-153.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fish, L. S., New, R. S., & Van Cleave, N. J. (1992). Shared parenting in dual-income families. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 62, 83-92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freysinger, J. (1994). Leisure with children and parental satisfaction: Further evidence of a sex difference in the experience of adult roles and leisure. Journal of Leisure Research, 26, 212-226.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grossman, F. K., Pollack, W. S., & Golding, E. (1988). Fathers and children: Predicting the quality and quantity of fathering. Developmental Psychology, 24, 82-91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heiss, J. (1981). Social roles. In M. Rosenberg & R. H. Turner (Eds.), Social psychology sociological perspectives (pp. 94-129). New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hollingshead, A. B. (1975). Four factor index of social status. Unpublished manuscript, Yale University.

  • Hood, J. C. (1986). The provider role: Its meaning and measurement. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 48, 349-359.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ihinger-Tallman, M., Pasley, K., & Buehler, C. (1993). Developing a middle-range theory of father involvement postdivorce. Journal of Family Issues, 14, 550-571.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lamb, M. E. (1977). Father–infant and mother–infant interaction in the first year of life. Child Development, 48, 167-181.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lamb, M. E. (1986). The changing role of fathers. In M. E. Lamb (Ed.), The father's role: Applied perspectives (pp. 3-27). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lamb, M. E. (1997). The role of the father in child development (3rd ed.). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lamb, M. E., Pleck, J. H., Charnov, E. L., & Levine, J. A. (1985). Paternal behavior in humans. American Zoologist, 25, 883-894.

    Google Scholar 

  • LaRossa, R., & Reitzes, D. C. (1993). Symbolic interactionism and family studies. In P. G. Boss, W. J. Doherty, R. LaRossa, W. R. Schumm, & E. S. K. Steinmetz (Eds.), Source book of family theories and methods: A contextual approach (pp. 135-166). New York: Plenum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leslie, L. A., Anderson, E. A., & Branson, M. P. (1991). Responsibility for children: The role of gender and employment. Journal of Family Issues, 12, 197-210.

    Google Scholar 

  • McBride, B. A., & Mills, G. (1993). A comparison of mother and father involvement with their preschool age children. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 8, 457-477.

    Google Scholar 

  • Palkovitz, R. (1984). Parental attitudes and fathers' interactions with their 5-month-old infants. Developmental Psychology, 20, 1054-1060.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parke, R., & Tinsley, B. (1987). Family interaction in infancy. In J. D. Osofsky (Ed.), Handbook of infant development (2nd ed., pp. 579-641). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perry-Jenkins, M., & Crouter, A. C. (1990). Men's provider role attitudes: Implications for household work and marital satisfaction. Journal of Family Issues, 11, 136-156.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, R. R., & Gerson, K. (1992). Determinants of responsibility for child care arrangements among dual-earner couples. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 54, 527-536.

    Google Scholar 

  • Phares, V. (1996). Fathers and developmental psychopathology. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pleck, J. H. (1997). Paternal involvement: Levels, sources, and consequences. In M. E. Lamb (Ed.), The role of the father in child development (pp. 66-103). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Potuchek, J. L. (1990). Employed wives' orientations to breadwinning: A gender theory analysis. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 54, 548-558.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rane, T. R., & McBride, B. A. (2000). Identity theory as a guide to understanding fathers' involvement with their children. Journal of Family Issues, 21, 347-366.

    Google Scholar 

  • Russell, G. (1978). The father role and its relation to masculinity, femininity, and androgyny. Child Development, 49, 1174-1181.

    Google Scholar 

  • Silverstein, L. B. (1996). Fathering is a feminist issue. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 20, 3-37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spence, J. T. (1993). Gender-related traits and gender ideology: Evidence for a multifactorial theory. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 624-635.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, S. D. (1999). Disneyland dads, Disneyland moms? How nonresident parents spend time with absent children. Journal of Family Issues, 20, 539-556.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wille, D. E. (1995). The 1990s: Gender differences in parenting roles. Sex Roles, 33, 803-817.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kimberly Renk.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Renk, K., Roberts, R., Roddenberry, A. et al. Mothers, Fathers, Gender Role, and Time Parents Spend with Their Children. Sex Roles 48, 305–315 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022934412910

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022934412910

Navigation