Fathering Styles: Qualities Children Expect in Their Fathers

Abstract

Many fathers strive to be better parents. Yet it remains unclear what qualities contribute to effective fathering; less is clear about how such paternal efforts are viewed by their children. Based on theoretical frameworks and previous qualitative studies that assessed father roles, a set of father role items was developed to assess undergraduate students’ views of their fathers (n = 1,208). Factor analysis revealed two distinctive aspects of fathering quality: considerateness (friendly, supportive and child-centered) and traditionalism (authoritarian, disciplinarian and provider). A path analysis revealed directional and relative effects of these two dimensions on perceived fathering quality. Further, based on these two distinctive dimensions, four fathering styles were developed, which predicted children’s developmental outcomes. Ways of improving paternal parenting are discussed.