Latino Mothers’ and Fathers’ Caregiving With Their School-Age Children

Abstract

This study examined the levels of Latino mothers’ and fathers’ involvement in their school-age children’s care and the relationships between parents’ socio-economic status (SES) variables, sense of community, community provisions, and marital satisfaction with their involvement in children’s routine and demand care. Mothers and fathers from 159 intact Latino families participated in the study. Multivariate analyses revealed that mothers spent significantly more time in providing child care than fathers did. The gender of the child did not make a difference in the amount of time mothers and fathers invested in children’s care. Whereas community provisions and marital satisfaction predicted mothers’ involvement in routine care, sense of community and community provisions predicted mothers’ involvement in demand care. None of the predictors were related to fathers’ involvement in routine or demand care. Findings are discussed in light of gender role differences in parental involvement with children within Latino families.