Through the Eyes of Children: Youths' Perceptions and Evaluations of Maternal and Paternal Roles

Abstract

Although scholars have called for greater inclusion of children's understandings in sociological research, most studies of family roles and relationships are still adult-centered. In this paper we explore children's perceptions and evaluations of maternal and paternal roles by content-analyzing more than 3,000 essays in which children explain why their parent is the best mother or father. The parental qualities and activities children value and how children frame familial relationships document the salience of gender and gender processes in families. These patterns generally complement and expand upon patterns found in studies on parenthood conducted from adults' perspective. Yet some important differences exist as well, such as the relative unimportance of labor force participation in children's appraisals of their fathers and children's greater focus on mutuality when describing relations with their fathers. To assess the degree to which children Is perceptions have changed, we also compare essays from 1979-1980 with those from the early 1990s and find a clear shift in emphasis from a caretaker/provider role to a more recreational role: this shift, on closer inspection, is more applicable to fathers than to mothers. These findings underscore the need of family, gender, and social psychological research to incorporate children's perspectives.