The role of the father Flashcards
According to research what are the roles of a father
as a primary caregiver
as a playmate
some researchers suggest that men aren’t equipped to be primary caregivers
what was the role of the father traditionally
Traditionally, the role of the father was limited as men provided for the family whilst the women took care of the children. However, over recent years the role of the father has changed due to men gaining paternity leave.
role as a primary caregiver
Illustrated by Field. Found that men can be primary caregivers if they demonstrate interactional synchrony and spend quality time with their infant. However, many fathers choose not to do this due to cultural norms of it being a woman’s role.
role as a playmate
Illustrated by Grossman. Found that a fathers role is more to do with play and less of an emotional, caring role. But the role of a stimulating playmate is also an important factor in development and attachment.
Father is not equipped to be primary caregiver
A father isn’t equipped to be a primary caregiver due to biological explanations. Men lack oestrogen whereas women have more oestrogen meaning they’re better equipped to respond to the emotional needs of a child unlike men.
evaluation of the role of the father (brief)
strength - Geiger
strength - hrdy HOWEVER biologically deterministic
weakness - conflicting research Grossman + McCallum and Golombok
strengths of the role of the father
Geiger has supporting research. Geiger found that father’s play interactions were more exciting in comparison to a mother’s. However a mothers play is more affectionate and neutering. This supports the idea that the role of a father is in fact as a playmate not as a sensitive parent.
Hrdy also has supporting research. Hrdy found that fathers were less able to detect low levels of infant distress in comparison to mothers. This supports the biological explanation that a lack of oestrogen means that fathers aren’t innately equipped to form a close relationship with their infant. HOWEVER, this is a biologically deterministic approach as Gordon et al suggests that fathers in fact do have a choice to be the primary caregiver but many choose not to take on this role due to culture and the fact that it’s seen to be a feminine role, henceforth many men shy away from it. This therefore shows that the role of father is not only biologically determined but is also impacted by culture.
weakness of the role of the father
conflicting research on the role of a father. Grossman suggests that fathers have a distinct role in children’s development involving play and stimulation. However, McCallum and Golombok found that children without a father don’t develop any differently, for example, in same sex families. This therefore weakens the validity of the theory as there is contradicting evidence on what the true role of a father is.
