role of the father

• Think-Pair-Share


  1. Who have you formed an attachment with?

  2. What role do they play?

  3. (e.g. why is it important?)
• Traditionally, fathers only play minor role in parenting
• In the past, married couples had 'expected roles'
• Norm for mothers to have a job (5.3m employed in 2013)
• 9% single parents (186k) are male
• So... men have a bigger role in parenting than before
• Early research focus


  Mother-infant interaction
• Bowlby


  ONE primary caregiver, usually the mother
• Mothers perceived


  Nurturing so recognise & respond to needs (sensitive responsiveness)
• So... early research→ fathers less of a caregiver more of a playmate!
• Grossman (2002) Aim/Procedure


  • How important are fathers in children's development & do they have a distinct role
  • Longitudinal Study (44 families)
  • Looked both parents' behaviour & it's relationship to the quality of children's attachment experience (to the teens)
• Grossman (2002) Findings/Conclusion


  • Quality of infant attachment with mothers (not fathers) related to attachment's in adolescence
  • Suggests.. Father attachment less important
  • However.... Quality of fathers play with infants WAS related to quality of adolescent attachments!
  • Suggests... Play a different role in attachment → play and stimulation (not nurturing)
• Fathers as Primary Caregivers

  • Some evidence→ fathers take the role of 'main caregiver'
  • Field (1978) filmed 4 month old babies face to face interaction
  • Mothers (primary caregiver )
  • Fathers (primary caregiver )
  • Fathers (secondary caregiver )
• Fathers as Primary Caregivers

  • Primary caregiver fathers (like mothers) spent more time smiling, imitating & holding infants
  • Compared to secondary caregiver fathers
• This behaviour appears to be more important in building attachment with the infant!
• Fathers CAN be more nurturing
• Key to attachment → level of responsiveness NOT the gender