Citation

McBride BA, Mills G. Early Child Res. Q. 1993; 8(4): 457-477.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1993, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/S0885-2006(05)80080-8

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This study examined variations in mother and father involvement in childrearing activities. Subjects were 100 families whose oldest children were between the ages of 3 and 5 years. Three aspects of parental involvement (interaction, accessibility, and responsibility) and four predictors of paternal involvement (demographic backgrounds, marital quality, parental stress, and role perceptions) were measured. Results indicated that mothers participated in childrearing activities at a significantly higher rate than fathers. This pattern held true in both dual-earner and single-earner families. Mothers spent a significantly higher proportion of their interaction time in functional and work-related activities whereas fathers spent a significantly greater proportion of their interaction time in play activities. Implications are discussed for future research on father involvement.