PROMOTING NURTURANT FATHERING

National Network for Child Care's Connections Newsletter

Johnna C. Darragh, M.S.
Doctoral Student
Human Development and Family Studies
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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One need only view the television for a short time to see examples of the "new nurturant" father in our society. This father is seen cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, wiping tears, and being completely absorbed in his adoring children. These nurturing fathers are called "new" because in the past, men have been viewed as breadwinners, moral teachers, and sex-role models. Society did not see men as persons capable of and competent at being responsible for children's routine needs. These responsibilities have traditionally been considered the mother's domain, while fathers filled the role of the child's playmate.

Studies have shown that fathers can be as competent as mothers in caregiving, and that children benefit in many ways from father involvement. These benefits include all areas of social, emotional, and cognitive development.

The "new nurturant" father may be present in abundance on the T.V. screen, but in real life, fathers are not much more involved with their children than previous generations were. Fathers are, however, somewhat more involved in taking care of children when mothers are at work. According to the 1991 Census Bureau, fathers took care of children in 20% of families with working mothers, compared to 15% in 1988. In most of these cases, mothers and fathers worked split shifts. Fathers' involvement in family work has increased relative to mothers' involvement mainly because mothers have become less involved in household chores. But in general, fathers are not more involved in overall household and caretaking tasks. Several researchers have noted, however, that when men do take on family chores, their involvement usually focuses on the children.

Many fathers would like to become more involved with their children, but there are many factors that discourage this involvement. These factors include men's work commitments, and the general belief of friends and family that the responsibility for childrearing is the mother's. In some cases, mothers may even protect their caretaking domain and unconsciously discourage fathers from doing more. Additionally, many fathers feel that they do not have the skills and self-confidence necessary to become more involved in child care. Childrearing is not something they were trained for. Many fathers lack adequate role models to demonstrate how to be involved with children. In a sense, the "new nurturant" fathers are pioneers in paternal involvement.

There are many ways that caregivers can help promote father involvement. Here are some suggestions:

• Address questions and comments regarding the child to both fathers and the mothers. If you treat the mother as if she is the only person able to share knowledge about the child, you may be discouraging the father from answering, as well as from asking his own questions.
  
• Have parent conferences and meetings at times that both fathers and mothers can be present. If one or both parents work during the day, try to schedule an evening appointment. Basing your appointment exclusively on the time schedule of the mother can serve to exclude the father.
  
• Encourage both fathers and mothers to participate in child-centered activities offered through your organization. Increased opportunities to spend time with the child in a caring environment can foster men's skills and self-confidence, as well as their childrearing abilities. This is also a wonderful opportunity to provide modeling for fathers who may be seeking guidance in interacting with their children.
  
• Do not force fathers to be involved. To foster a child's development, father involvement needs to be the desire of the father, and of the family as a unit. By pressing father involvement, you may actually serve to discourage it.

Through encouraging and facilitating father involvement, the "new" nurturant father may one day become the "typical" nurturant father.

REFERENCES

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

Crouter, A., Perry-Jenkins, M., Huston, T., & McHale, S. (1987). Processes underlying father involvement in dual-earner and single earner families. *Developmental Psychology*, 23(3), 431-440.

Lamb, M. (1987). The emergent American father. In M. Lamb (Ed.), *The Father's Role: Cross cultural perspectives* (pp. 3-26). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

McBride, B., & McBride, R. (1990). The changing role of fathers: Some implications for educators. *Journal of Home Economics*, 82, 6-10.

Menaghan, E. G., & Parcel, T. L. (1990). Parental employment and family life: Research in the 1980s. *Journal of Marriage and the Family*, 52, 1079-1098.

Riley, D. (1991). Network influences on father involvement in childrearing. In M. Cochran, M. Larner, D. Riley, L. Gunnarsson, & C. Henderson (Eds.), *Extending families: The social networks of parents and their children* (pp. 131-153). New York: Cambridge University Press.