Fathers In Childcare Research Articles

Konstruksi Realitas Sosial pada Cuti Melahirkan untuk Ayah dalam Undang-Undang No. 20 Tahun 2023

Awareness of the role of the father, starting from the process of accompanying his wife giving birth to the process of caring for a newborn baby, has begun to be emphasized in modern society. This awareness then resulted in the Government Regulations Draft (RPP) regarding the management of State Civil Apparatus (ASN) as implementing regulations for Law number 20 of 2023 which will regulate paternity leave rights for male civil servants whose wives are about to give birth. So far, in Indonesia, both government and private institutions only regulate maternity leave for female employees. The social construction that has been formed is that women must take full responsibility in caring for newborn children. This research examines the perceptions of male civil servants and private employees regarding the draft law that will regulate paternity leave. Using Bless and Greifeneder's Social Cognitive Processing, 5 male civil servants and 5 male private employees were invited to participate in the FGD. This research shows that there are still misperceptions among male workers because of their thinking patterns which are still strongly derived from Indonesian patriarchal culture. Even though there are many facts in the form of research results about the role of fathers in childcare, male workers are still dominated by the perception that only women are responsible for childcare. Paternity leave does not need to be long because it can reduce men's productivity in the workplace. In fact, husbands’ presence is not only needed to help the wife in the domestic realm but can also provide emotional support to the wives. All forms of male perception and action are still the result of imitation of habits, customs, and social norms seen and learned in society. Keywords: paternity leave, social construct, FGD, perception, Stuart Hall

Maternal feeding practices for sick children under 2 years in Wolkite town, Gurage Zone, Central Ethiopia, 2024: a community-based cross-sectional study

BackgroundOptimal feeding practices for sick children are crucial to prevent morbidity and mortality. Despite global and national policies emphasizing the importance of optimal feeding practices for sick children, studies have revealed varying levels of practice in different regions, including Ethiopia. However, there is a research gap in focusing on community-based contexts to determine sick child feeding practices among mothers with young children.ObjectiveTo assess maternal feeding practices for sick children under 2 years in Wolkite town, Gurage zone, Central Ethiopia: 2024.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study involving a total of 419 mothers of young children was conducted in Wolkite town, Gurage zone, Central Ethiopia from September 15 to November 15, 2023. Participants were chosen using computer-generated random numbers. Structured, interviewer-administered, and pretested data collection tool were used. The data were coded and entered into EpiData 3.1 before being exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. Logistic regression was employed to identify factors influencing mothers’ practice. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05 with a 95% confidence interval.ResultsThe study found that 54.4% (95% CI: 50–59%) of mothers demonstrated good feeding practices for their sick children. Significant factors contributing to these practices included mothers having at least a secondary education (AOR: 3.7, 95% CI: 1.5–9.1), delivering their child in a health facility (AOR: 2.3, 95% CI: 1.4–3.8), and receiving support from the father (AOR: 2.3, 95% CI: 1.4–3.8). Additionally, mothers who were counseled on infant and young child feeding had higher odds of practicing good feeding (AOR: 4.1, 95% CI: 2.3–7.03), access to postnatal care (AOR: 3.8, 95% CI: 2.1–6.95) and having a good knowledge of feeding practices (AOR: 2.5, 95% CI: 1.4–4.5) were also strongly associated with effective feeding practices.ConclusionsThe study highlights more than half of mothers in Wolkite town, Gurage zone, Central Ethiopia have good sick child feeding practices. Factors such as the higher educational status of the mother, having the father’s support, place of delivery, receiving PNC services, counseling on infant and young child feeding, and knowledge about sick child feeding were significantly associated with their practice. Implementing targeted education programs, strengthening postnatal care services, counseling on infant and young child feeding, and encouraging the involvement of fathers in childcare and feeding were strongly recommended.

Utilization of paternity and parental leave in Italy: the parents’ perspective

Abstract Background In recent years, there has been a focus on the role of fathers in childcare within public debates and social policies. Maternity, paternity, and parental leaves are essential tools for active father involvement in family life. The study aims to describe the fathers and mothers’ perspective about the use of two types of leave (paternity and parental) by fathers. Methods As part of the European project 4E (Early, Equal, Engaged, Empathetic) PARENT (CERV-2022-DAPHNE No. 101095956), a cross-sectional study was carried out using an online questionnaire addressed to parents between August and December 2023. Results A total of 3,811 mothers and 720 fathers participated. Sixty percent of mothers and 57% of fathers came from the North, with the majority having a high level of education (74% and 58%, respectively). Seventy-three percent of fathers reported using paternity leave, with most cases from the public welfare system (59%). Overall, most of mothers (91%) and fathers (89%) do not consider the current duration of leave adequate nor do they agree with the traditional division of family roles. Additionally, 69% of mothers and 72% of fathers believe that fathers should have more leave, but also that mothers need more months for breastfeeding. The logistic model shows that for fathers: low education level (ORadj 0.34, 95% CI 0.13-0.86), living in the Center (ORadj 0.49, 95% CI 0.28-0.87) and Southern Italy (ORadj 0.32, 95% CI 0.15-0.64), and acceptance of traditional family role division (ORadj 0.30, 95% CI 0.14-0.65) reduce the likelihood of using paternity leave. Similar results were observed in case of mothers’ responses. Furthermore, living in Southern Italy reduces the likelihood of using parental leave for both fathers (ORadj 0.24, 95% CI 0.09-0.69) and mothers (ORadj 0.67, 95% CI 0.49-0.92). Key messages • Maternity, paternity, and parental leaves are crucial for facilitating active father participation in family life. • It is important to implement inclusive policies that ensure equitable access to paternity and parental leave, thereby promoting active father involvement in childcare.

Indian fathers’ perceptions of young childcare and feeding – A qualitative study

The role of parents in fostering children's healthy habits is a robust area of research. However, most of the existing literature predominantly focuses on mothers' parenting practices. Given the emergence of nuclear, dual earning families and the recent surge in maternal employment in urban India, fathers' engagement in child rearing and feeding warrants attention. The purpose of this research was to document the views of Indian fathers about paternal parenting practices, with an emphasis on children's diet among other health behaviors. Thirty-three fathers of children aged 6–59 months from Kolkata, India took part in semi-structured interviews conducted either face-to-face or over Zoom/telephone in Hindi, Bengali, and English. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and translated to English. The transcribed data were subjected to thematic analysis informed by the Template Analysis technique. Themes were detected using the NVivo software program. Overall, these Indian fathers played an important role in early childhood care and feeding as reflected in the following seven themes: (i) Involvement of fathers in various childcare activities; (ii) Implementation of responsive and non-responsive feeding practices; (iii) Concerns regarding fussy and slow eating; (iv) Concerns regarding excessive screen time; (v) Paternal vs maternal parenting; (vi) Barriers to routine engagement of fathers in childcare; (vii) Desire for more nutrition and health knowledge. This enhanced understanding of paternal parenting behavior supports the inclusion of fathers in future family-focused lifestyle interventions aimed at improving children's health outcomes, including their dietary habits.

A Narrative Review-Participation of Fathers in Child Health Care in India

Abstract Review studies of the father’s role in child care and father involvement, attitudes, and values associated with it, and strategies for promoting their participation. This review aims to analyze fathers’ involvement in child care and father behavior, as well as associated values and strategies for development. To study the father-child connection and factors such as the child’s social behavior, academic performance, and health-related psychological factors. They are more sensitive, loving, and encouraging toward their young children. When it comes to their young children, they are more receptive, affectionate, and assured. They are also better at maintaining their composure when dealing with rebellious toddlers. A child’s emotional and social development is significantly influenced by how fathers cooperate with their children through play. Compared to mothers, fathers spend a far larger volume of their one-on-one time with infants and preschoolers engaging in stimulating play activities. PubMed and Google Scholar Searches were conducted using Medical Subject Headings terms and related keywords. This study examined the various reviews on the relationship between the roles of fathers in childcare and the factors that may influence the same. Traditional gender norms in child care influence the group of people’s images of fathers’ obligation and serve as a barrier to their involvement in the community. In most populations, fathers can support their families financially. They act as positive role models for their children, defend their families from harm, and exercise control over their wives, children, and other family members. Fathers may provide for and nurture their children. Fathers play and teach their children alone or hold them when their mothers are busy. Interventions focused on improving fathers’ and mothers ideas and attitudes about child care, and the relevance of shared childcare duties may improve fathers’ engagement. Fathers’ participation has various impacts on the child’s healthy development of character, social skills, understanding, intellect, academic achievement, gender roles, morality, and emotion. Fathers’ participation in childcare is affected by family and society, and fathers’ personalities affect children’s personalities to some extent. Father involvement, results also revealed that father involvement was low in childcare responsibilities only; however, other subareas of involvement were high. It was found that especially mothers were responsible as primary caregivers for child care.

The long-term effect on nurses’ self-efficacy of father support by implementing a father-friendly neonatal intensive care unit

The role of fathers in childcare is changing; therefore, nurses' care must change to more family-centered care. This follow-up study investigated the long-term effects of implementing a father-friendly neonatal intensive care unit on nurses’ self-efficacy in guiding and supporting fathers.Forty-one nurses (98%) responded to the follow-up questionnaire 5 years after the implementation of the father-friendly neonatal intensive care unit, of which 22 completed the questionnaire (post-implementation). From the post-to follow-up questionnaire, a significant decrease was found for the mother's questions (8.71 vs. 9.16, p = 0.05) and a non-significant decrease for the father's questions (8.52 vs. 9.02, p = 0.07). ConclusionAfter the initial implementation of improvements in clinical practice, it is important to have an organizational strategy to maintain and continue developing nurses’ skills and culture in guiding and involving the entire family to ensure requested patient care.

Working fathers experience sex discrimination?

ABSTRACT This paper critiques the judgment delivered by the Employment Appeal Tribunal in the case of Price v Powys County Council on 31 March 2021. The judgment determined that it does not amount to sex discrimination if a mother can receive enhanced pay on adoption leave, whilst a father can only receive statutory pay on shared parental leave. The paper will reflect upon the significance of this judgment in exposing some of the reasons that have contributed towards the low uptake of shared parental leave by fathers in the United Kingdom. Focus will be placed on how the low levels of replacement pay to financially support the position of fathers in childcare has influenced the low take-up rates. Similarly, the need for an identically situated comparator under the formal equality approach adopted by the Equality Act 2010 and the court system to substantiate a discrimination claim has also contributed towards the failure to recognise the lower levels of replacement pay given to fathers as sex discrimination. This paper will conclude that a substantive equality approach would have better recognised that fathers belong to a marginalised sub-group within men who experience sex discrimination in the form of lesser financial support to undertake childcare due to the gender stereotype that fathers should be the financial breadwinner.

Trajectories of fathers' childcare involvement and child behavioral outcomes

AbstractBackgroundFather's closeness and playful behavior influence a child's emotional and cognitive development. In this study, we aimed to assess the long‐term association of paternal involvement in childcare at 1–3 years of life on subsequent behavioral outcomes at 8 years of age.MethodsData were obtained from the 2010 cohort of the Longitudinal Survey of Newborns in the 21st century in Japan. We used group‐based trajectory modeling to predict the trajectory of total childcare scores in surveys 1, 2 and 3 to determine the overall involvement of fathers in childcare during early childhood. The level of fathers' involvement in childcare was categorized as “low”, “medium” and “high”. Responses from the eighth survey were used to assess child behavioral outcomes using five indicators when the child was 8 years old. Crude and adjusted logistic regression analysis was conducted to estimate the odds ratio (OR) separately for each of the behavioral outcomes of the child.ResultsAmong the 17,027 father‐child dyads included in this study, two‐thirds of the fathers were of the age group 30–39 years. Compared to low involvement, children of fathers with high involvement in childcare during the early childhood years were less likely to not want to go to school even after adjusting for covariates (adjusted OR, 0.46; 95% CI: 0.32–0.66).ConclusionsChildren benefit from their fathers' involvement in early childcare activities. To improve a child's well‐being, fathers should be encouraged by providing them with a suitable working environment with flexible arrangements and the opportunity to involve in childcare.

Pravo oca na roditeljski i očinski dopust u zemljama EU

Equality between men and women in the exercise of rights is one of the fundamental principles of the European Union, which is enshrined in the acts of primary legislation and in secondary legislation. However, the directive did not ensure full equality of fathers and mothers with regard to reconciling professional and family obligations, which was the reason for the adoption of the new Directive 2019/1158, which contains provisions aimed at striking a balance between work and family obligations, and which was adopted on 20 June 2019. This Directive repeals Council Directive 2010/18/ EU, that is, Member States have a period of time to comply with the new Directive within three years of its entry into force. In addition to the importance of involving the father in childcare at a young age, the paper also points to EU legal acts that regulate the reconciliation of fathers’ professional and family responsibilities. In addition, an overview of available data on the use of childcare leave by fathers is provided. The paper pays particular attention to existing solutions at EU level for the use of parental and paternity leave, comparing them to those contained in the new Directive 2019/1158.

Towards generative fatherhood. Analysis of the social dimensions of the phenomenon.

In the face of the changes taking place in the area of parental roles and the expanding range of possibilities of fulfilling the father role (from the uninvolved father, the mother's helper to the father as an equal parent or even the primary caregiver), there is a need to take into account individual, individual and social aspects. The concept of generative fathering, understood as equal participation in all aspects of childcare, offers such an opportunity because it refers to men's motivations and aspirations, and at the same time describes the institutional basis of changes. The presented article characterizes the factors conducive to the development of generative orientation: egalitarian relationship with child’s mother, professional work that gives space for implementation in other areas of life and the possibility of creating a satisfactory relationship with the child. Research findings relating to the links between professional work of both parents and paternal commitment, and to the participation of fathers in childcare, suggest that generativity - when analyzed in a social context - is not a common father experience.

Fathers matter: Intrahousehold responsibilities and children's wellbeing during the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy

The lockdown imposed during the spring of 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic upset families lives, in addition to the health consequences of the virus, forcing parents to completely reorganize their labor, domestic work and childcare time. At the same time, school closures forced children to rearrange their lives and learning processes: in Italy, schools and nurseries were closed for four months, and the incidence and quality of distance learning activities was heterogeneous across education levels and among schools. Using real-time survey data on families with under-16 children collected in April 2020, which include information on parents’ market and household work, and their perception of their children's wellbeing, we estimate how the lockdown has affected children's use of time, their emotional status and their home learning, and whether the reallocation of intrahousehold responsibilities during the lockdown played a role in this process. Changes in the parental division of household tasks and childcare, mostly induced by the labor market restrictions imposed during the lockdown, point to a greater involvement of fathers in childcare and homeschooling activities. This positive variation in fathers’ involvement is accompanied by an increase in children's emotional wellbeing and by a reduction in TV and passive screen time. On the other hand, the quality of children's home learning does not appear to depend on which parent is overseeing their work, but rather on the type of distance learning activities proposed by their teachers.

Komunikasi Ibu Bekerja dalam Membangun Kelekatan dengan Anak

Working mothers are at risk of lack of attachment to their children. Positive communication between working mothers and their children may facilitate the development of strong attachments and relationships. Previous research shows that only a small percentage of working mothers are satisfied with the childcare activities performed under demanding work environments and limited time with their children. Therefore, this study aims to examine mother-child communication performed by working mothers. The research was conducted by collecting in-depth interview data with a semi-structured scale on six mothers working in various fields of work. Research results showed working mothers compensated for absenteeism by attempting to cultivate empathy and listening to children, as well as engaging in intensive conversations and activities with children in daily life. Working mothers strive to make their time by being present, listening to, and understanding their children's concerns. Empathy helps mothers to consider the children's point of view and emotions, making it easier to apprehend the children's behavior. Working mothers' everyday encounters with their children become ritual messages that help them form relationships. On the other hand, job exhaustion sometimes leads mothers to be emotionally abusive to their children, resulting in neglect, abrasive communication, and even physical violence. The limitation of this study is that it focuses on the form of communication between mothers working with children, without intention ignoring the role of fathers in childcare.

“AYAH PERGI UNTUK KALIAN!”: FENOMENA YATIM PSIKOLOGIS DI KALANGAN GENERASI MUDA DI KOTA BANDUNG INDONESIA

The fatherless phenomenon (the absence of a father in childcare) and its consequences for child development has become a worldwide problem. Various studies have found that fathers who are absent from the parenting process (educating, caring for, and paying attention to their children) are one of the key factors causing various psychological, cognitive, and social problems in children. This research is a phenomenological study, a qualitative research approach that looks at the similarities of life experiences experienced by a group of individuals. The informants in this study were parents (in the 45-55 age range) of four clients who encounter emotional problems; social interaction; school drop-out, online game addiction; gender dysphoria (inner conflict between physical birth and gender identity felt by sufferers), and pornography. The main objective of this research is to arrive at a description of the nature of the 'Yatim Psikologis' phenomenon or a deep understanding of the situation in Bandung Indonesia. Domain Analyses Method was used to analyze data obtained from four pairs of informants. The results of the study lead to the following conclusions: (1) the fathers’ strong desire to provide a decent life for the family; (2) the fathers’ level of understanding about their role in childcare according to their religion and psychology; (3) the fathers’ or mothers’ readiness in accepting the presence of the child (4), the child’s birth order (4), and (5) the mother's parenting style are the reasons for the fathers’ absence in providing care and at the same time are the factors affecting the psychological condition of troubled young men in this research. Deeper and more focused studies on three scientific aspects: (1) spiritual, (2) the nature of human being, and (3) the psychosocial in the absence of the father theme are highly needed due to the fact that this phenomenon has been scientifically proven to be one of the key factors in weakening younger generation from all aspects.

FUTURE OF WORK-LIFE BALANCE – PARENTS’ PERSPECTIVE

Taking the parent’s perspective, the essay addresses the issue of work-life balance. Based on the observed trends, I made an attempt to predict which changes may have the greatest impact on the possibilities of achieving balance in the future: (1) shortening the time spent on performing professional work, (2) wide spreading of tasks contracts, which will increase flexibility as to place and time of performing tasks; (3) spread of precarious employment; (4) increased fathers’ involvement of fathers in childcare. While separately described the changes are interdependent; at the same time, their consequences can be positive (facilitate work-life balance) or negative. Moreover, the described changes will not equally apply to all employees in the future.

KETERLIBATAN AYAH DALAM PENGASUHAN ANAK DENGAN SEPARATION ANXIETY DISORDER

Father involvement in parenting is an important factor in the process of child development. However, the involvement of fathers in childcare is very low. The objective of this study is to explore and find out how fathers are involved in parenting of children with separation anxiety disorder. This research uses a qualitative approach. Collecting data in this study using structured interviews. Participants were selected using purposive sampling. Participants in this study were 3 fathers who have children with Separation Anxiety Disorder (ASD). The results showed that the involvement of fathers in childcare plays an important role in the development of children with ASD. Fathers have done a good role in parenting for ASD children, as well as a good relationship between father and children with ASD. Fathers have varied activities to stimulate their ASD children, as well as positive communication by fathers to their children. Fathers give good understanding to their children and provide follow-up on their parenting involvement.

Paternal Part‐Time Employment and Fathers' Long‐Term Involvement in Child Care and Housework

AbstractObjectiveThis study examines whether paternal part‐time employment is related to greater involvement by fathers in child care and housework, both while fathers are working part‐time and after they return to full‐time employment.BackgroundThe study draws on four strands of theory—time availability, bargaining, gender ideology, and gender construction. It studies couples' division of labor in Germany, where policies increasingly support a dual‐earner, dual‐carer model.MethodThe study uses data from the German Socio‐Economic Panel from 1991 to 2015 on employed adult fathers living together with at least one child younger than age 17 and the mother. The analytic sample comprises 51,230 observations on 8,915 fathers. Fixed effects regression techniques are used to estimate the effect of (previous) part‐time employment on fathers' child‐care hours, housework hours, and share of child care and housework.ResultsFathers did more child care and housework while they worked part time. Yet, most fathers reverted to previous levels of involvement after returning to full‐time work. The only exception was fathers with partners in full‐time employment, who spent more time doing child care and took on a greater share of housework after part‐time employment than before.ConclusionThe findings are largely consistent with the time availability perspective, although the results for fathers with full‐time employed partners indicate that the relative resources and gender ideology perspectives have some explanatory power as well.

Keterlibatan Ayah Dalam Pemberian Stimulasi Tumbuh Kembang Pada Anak Prasekolah

Stimulation of growth and development in children including pre-school age children is very important to do by parents and families. This is done to stimulate the ability and growth and development of children to grow and develop optimally in accordance with the stages of development. Many factors affect parents in providing growth and development stimulus in pre-school age children. One of them is the involvement of fathers in childcare. The purpose of this study was to obtain a picture of the factors that influence parents in providing stimulation of preschool children growth and development. The research design used was descriptive research with cross-sectional study. Data analysis using component analysis with univariate and bivariate analysis. The results showed that the father's involvement variable influences the provision of growth and growth stimulation in pre-school children (p value = 0.001), and OR = 10.978 which means that respondents who have father involvement in good stimulation have an opportunity for mothers 10.9 times better in doing growth and growth stimulation on their children compared to respondents who had less father involvement in stimulation. The involvement or role of fathers in the stimulation of growth and development becomes an important aspect for children's development.

Ayah Tangguh, Keluarga Utuh : Pola Asuh Ayah pada Keluarga Buruh Migran Perempuan di Kabupaten Banyumas

Banyumas as one of the bases of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BMI), annually dispatches about 2.000 Women Migrant Workers (BMP). Parenting is then replaced by the father's role. This study aimed to identify the role of father in child care. The study used a constructivist paradigm becaouse of the consideration that is the paradigm has the ability to reveal details of a particular community culture by understanding its natural cultural arrangement by research subject’s point of view. The method used is qualitative, requiring the skill of the researcher to reveal the thick description about the daily life of the child left behind in Banyumas Regency among 10 informants as participants of this research. The research result showed that when the mother left the children to go abroad as migrant worker, the father’s role to nurture the child became important. When the early childhood, fathers had significant roles for instrumental and expressive functions. Meanwhile, while the children were teenagers and had more complex problems, the father was needed to be more communicative, assertive, and able to reflective listen to the children’s problems and feeling. Therefore, for the women migrant’s family; the tougher the father, the stronger the family. It means that the father should have the strong will, willing to harder work, and also willing to more learn about how to practice authoritative parenting.

"Yeah that Made a Big Difference!": The Importance of the Relationship between Health Professionals and Fathers Who Have a Child with Down Syndrome.

Evidence suggests that medical services do not reflect the increased involvement of fathers in childcare, a discrepancy that can often lead to feelings of exclusion and inequality. Fathers who have a child with Down syndrome may encounter many different health professionals during their child's life, therefore it is important to consider this relationship, and investigate the factors that influence their experiences. This is particularly important because the limited research focusing on fathers suggest that those who have a child with Down syndrome can experience increased stress levels and lasting feelings of loss and grief. It is therefore important to address their relationships with health professionals, as these may be a significant resource to prevent these feelings. This study used interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore the experiences of seven fathers who have a child with Down syndrome, focusing on their interactions with health professionals. The analysis showed that the major factors associated with negative experiences were feelings of exclusion, receiving overly negative information about the condition and a perceived lack of on-going support. Positive experiences were associated with being made to feel like an equal parent, being given direct/clear information and being congratulated on the birth of their child. These results provide an insight into what fathers expect in terms of their own and their child's care and highlight that health professionals have an important and extensive role in influencing fathers' experiences of Down syndrome.

Fathers' Needs and Masculinity Dilemmas in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Denmark.

Background:Most healthcare professionals in neonatal intensive care units typically focus on the infants and mothers; fathers often feel powerless and find it difficult to establish a father-child relationship. In family-centered healthcare settings, exploring fathers' experiences and needs is important because men's roles in society, especially as fathers, are changing.Purpose:To describe fathers' needs when their infants are admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit and to discuss these needs within a theoretical framework of masculinity to advance understanding and generate meaningful knowledge for clinical practices.Methods:This qualitative study used participant observation, interviews, multiple sequential interviews, and a focus group discussion. Data were analyzed using grounded theory principles.Results:Analysis of the fathers' needs generated 2 primary themes: (1) Fathers as caregivers and breadwinners and (2) fathers and emotions. Fathers wished to be involved and to take care of their infants but have to balance cultural and social norms and expectations of being breadwinners with their wishes to be equal coparents.Implications for Practice/Research:Health professionals in neonatal intensive care units must be aware of fathers' need and desire to be equal coparents. Nurses should play a key role by, for example, showing that fathers are as important to their infants as are the mothers, helping them become involved in childcare, and ensuring that they are directly informed about their children's progress. Further research in other cultural settings would contribute to knowledge regarding fatherhood and the role of fathers in childcare.