Abstract
Using a stochastic model, this analysis shows that Chodorow's theory (described in The Reproduction of Mothering, 1978) does not work. The theory claims daughters became more nurturing than sons because mothers do more nurturing than fathers. Society then functionally allocates child rearing to women because they do it better and enjoy it more. This self-reproducing cycle supposedly explains why women's responsibility for rearing children persisted so long. The analysis in this article represents the social process transmitting nurturing in the theory with a stochastic model. Applying the model over several generations shows that the theoretical process does not preserve sex differences. Instead, it causes the proportion of women and men who nurture children to become steadily more equal. This analysis also considers several likely strategies for modifying Chodorow's theory to overcome the contradictory results revealed by the stochastic model. None succeed.
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