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Cross-National Comparison of Attitudes Toward Fathers' and Mothers' Participation in Household Tasks and Childcare

Sex Roles volume 48, pages 189–203 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore attitudes toward the division of fathers' and mothers' participation in childcare/household tasks through a multilevel modeling approach. Data from the Euro-barometer surveys, including over 10,000 respondents from 13 European countries, were used. Respondents' attitudes were related to several individual-and macro-level factors. At the individual level (based on a separate regression equation for each country), it was found that respondents were most likely to hold egalitarian attitudes toward household work and childcare when they were younger, female, and politically liberal. At the macro level, countries' United Nations ratings on women's empowerment, Gross National Product, and cultural individualism were related to egalitarian attitudes. Study implications, strengths and weaknesses, and suggestions for future research are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development and Family Studies, College of Human Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas

    Malathi L. Apparala, Alan Reifman & Joyce Munsch

  2. Department of Child and Adolescent Development, California State University, Northridge, California

    Joyce Munsch

Authors
  1. Malathi L. Apparala
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  2. Alan Reifman
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  3. Joyce Munsch
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Correspondence to Alan Reifman.

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Apparala, M.L., Reifman, A. & Munsch, J. Cross-National Comparison of Attitudes Toward Fathers' and Mothers' Participation in Household Tasks and Childcare. Sex Roles 48, 189–203 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022865002992

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022865002992

  • household labor
  • childcare
  • attitudes
  • cross-national
  • multilevel modeling