A study published in the current issue of Family Process provides an in-depth look at fathering in families with young children and finds that the most involved fathers live outside traditional gendered roles.

Responsive fathers shucked the old model of fatherhood in which the man is the breadwinner and more valued than his child-rearing wife. The least interactive fathers frequently held strong traditional beliefs.

These fathers often held the perception that their wives had a better deal, whether or not she worked outside of the home. “Mothers’ contributions (i.e. financial, childcare, or housework) were expected, and not viewed as worthy of notice,” the authors state. On the contrary, highly responsive fathers tended not to operate from a set of assumptions that viewed women as homemakers and men as providers/protectors. Instead it was equal power between the spouses.

By conducting interviews with forty diverse married couples with children under the age of five, the authors measured father responsivity. The three levels of responsivity the study cites refer to the degree to which fathers recognize and attend to the emotional needs of their family; the household and child care tasks, and power and fairness within the couple’s relationship. They conclude with suggestions for a new model of fatherhood including explicitly valuing women’s work and attending to equality within the relationship.

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