Perceptions of Parenting Task Performance: A Comparison of Single-Earner and Dual-Earner Families

Abstract

Marriage and family life are undergoing great changes, creating many uncertainties about, amongst others, parental roles and task performance. This preliminary investigation compared perceptions of parental task performance in single-earner and dual-earner families. The perceptions of mothers and fathers concerning their own and each other's task performance are also compared. The sample consisted of 1465 married subjects drawn from different language and ethnic groups. A parental task questionnaire was used to gather information. These tasks were defined for three developmental stages (babyhood, pre-school and primary school), and focused on major aspects of development (e.g. physical, intellectual, social and moral development). Subjects indicated on a 5-point scale, the proportional contribution by family members to child care tasks. The most important conclusion is that the wife's full-time employment had little effect on the husband's perceived contribution to parenting. Some significant differences were found between fathers' and mothers' perceptions of their own and their spouse's parental task performance. The nature and extent of differences varied with the stage of childhood development and particular aspects of development. Die huweliks- en gesinslewe ondergaan groot veranderinge wat lei tot baie onsekerhede, ook onder andere wat ouerskapsrolle en die uitvoering van ouerskapstake betref. Hierdie navorsing is 'n voorlopige ondersoek en dit vergelyk persepsies van die uitvoering van ouerskapstake van enkelberoepsgesinne met tweeledige beroepsgesinne. Die persepsies van vaders en moeders met betrekking tot hul eie en mekaar se taakuitvoering word ook vergelyk. Die steekproef het bestaan uit 1465 getroude persone uit verskillende taal- en etniese groepe. 'n Ouerskapstake-vraelys is gebruik om inligting in te samel. Hierdie take is gedefinieer vir drie ontwikkelingstadia (babajare, voorskoolse en laerskooljare), en maak voorsiening vir basiese aspekte van ontwikkeling (bv. fisieke, intellektuele, sosiale en morele ontwikkeling). Die proefpersone moes op 'n vyfpuntskaal die proporsionele bydrae van gesinslede tot ouerskapstake aantoon. Die belangrikste gevolgtrekking is dat die vrou se voltydse werk min effek het op die man se waargenome bydrae tot ouerskapstake. Sekere beduidende verskille is tussen mans en vrouens gevind wat hulle persepsies van hulle eie en mekaar se bydraes tot ouerskapstake betref. Daar is gevind dat die aard en omvang van verskille varieer na gelang van die ontwikkelingstadium van die kind en bepaalde ontwikkelingsaspekte.