The role of fathers

• What is the expectation for fathers in Western cultures?

  that the father should play a greater role in bringing up children
• Why is there a new expectation for fathers to be more involved in bringing up children?

  because the number of mothers working full time had increased in recent decades
• What role do the mother and father adopt?

  the mother adopts a caring and nurturing role where the father adopts a fun, risk-taking, playmate role
• When in a positive mood, who do infants prefer contact with?

  their fathers

  (they prefer contact with their mothers when they are distressed and need comforting)
• What does Bowlby suggest about the role of the father?


  • that fathers can fill a role closely resembling that usually filled by a mother (despite being uncommon)
  • says that a father is more likely to engage in physically active play than the mother is - so the father is the child's prefered play companion
• What does nature suggest is the reason why mothers and fathers are so different?

  genetics and biology

  • men have lots of testosterone which makes them more aggressive and therefore 'providers'
  • women have oestrogen which encourages more caring and empathetic behaviour
• What does nurture suggest is the reason why mothers and fathers are so different?

  • the way we are brought up
  • gender stereotypes about how men and women are supposed to behave (boys = boisterous and girls = affectionate)