Role of the farther

• In western cultures fathers are encouraged to play a bigger role in raising children. This means mothers have been working full time significantly more as compared to 40 years ago.
• Mothers usually have a more nurturing role in child raising while the fathers adopt the role of a "play mate", encouraging risk-taking behaviours when playing.

  Infants, when in distress, prefer contact with the mother but when in a positive emotional state they usually prefer the farther.
• It's possible men are not psychologically equipped to form an intense attachment because they lack the emotional sensitivity women offer that comes from oestrogen that is underlying in caring behaviours.

  On the other hand, it was found that when fathers adopt the main caregiver role, they show behaviours typically resembling that of a mother.

  ->Suggests the key to attachment is responsiveness, not the gender of the parent.
• Economic implications

  Mothers may feel pressured to stay home because research says they are vital for healthy emotional development. This may not be, economically, the best decision for some families.