Role of the father

• How does feeding affect whether the mother is the primary caregiver?

  As the mother has to breastfeed (stereotypically) her baby, she naturally becomes sensitive to the needs of the infant. This could explain why mothers often become the primary caregiver.
• What did Grossman say about the role of the father?

  Grossman said that the role of the father is less important than the role of the mother. He said that the fathers role is focused more on play and stimulation rather than the motherly role of nurturing.
• What benefits can play and stimulation provide for a child?

  • Better social skills
  • Lower chance of injury
  • Better understanding of 'fair' play
• Research supporting the role of the father as a primary caregiver:

  • MacCallum found that infants raised by two fathers or single father families had no social or emotional differences to those brought up with heterosexual parents
  • Field conducted an experiment with 4 month old babies and their caregivers which showed that the key for forming primary attachments was the level of responsiveness and not the gender of the caregiver
• Why is research suggesting that mothers must be the primary caregiver socially sensitive?

  • Mothers who return to work shortly after giving birth may feel guilty for needing alternative carers to look after their infant
  • Some mothers may feel that they aren't their baby's main attachment figure which could make them feel inadequate
  • Fathers who want to be/are the primary caregiver may feel discouraged by societal norms e.g. there being less support available/being discriminated against
• What could be the economical impacts of parents having equal rights to parental leave from work?

  • Fathers may contribute less to economy if choosing not to work/working part time
  • If sharing caregiving, there may be more people in work but an increase in people working part-time
  • Families could be better off if mother is higher earner and chooses to return to work
  • Gender pay gap may be reduced if mothers don't have to take a step back in their careers