DO PARENTS THINK IT TAKES A VILLAGE? PARENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS NONPARENTAL ADULTS’ INVOLVEMENT IN THE UPBRINGING AND NURTURE OF CHILDREN

Abstract

The current study explored parents’ attitudes towards nonparental adults’ involvement in childrearing practices. Parents’ attitudes were operationalized in their willingness to share parenting responsibility and interest to participate in parenting activities. Data were collected through a quantitative survey with 1,090 parents from 17 Dutch neighborhoods. Results suggest that parents are ambivalent about involving others in childrearing practices. Furthermore, parents seem to prefer activities that do not focus explicitly on childrearing, but that do assist them in handling parenting tasks or give them the opportunity to exchange experiences. Fathers, parents with more sources of informal support, and parents who gave support themselves were more willing to share responsibility, whereas non‐Western parents, parents with positive judgments on cohesion and trust in their neighborhood, parents with more sources of formal support, and parents who gave support themselves were more interested in participating in activities.