Paternal Identity, Maternal Gatekeeping, and Father Involvement*

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine whether mothers' beliefs about the role of the father may contribute to mothers influencing the quantity of father involvement in their children's lives. Participants were 30 twoparent families with children between the ages of 2 and 3 years. A combination of self-report and interview data were collected from both mothers and fathers. Results from multiple regression analyses indicated that fathers' perceived investments in their parental roles and actual levels of paternal involvement are moderated by mothers' beliefs about the role of the father. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for future research on parenting identity and maternal gatekeeping as well as the development of parenting programs for fathers.

Intergenerational and Partner Influences on Fathers’ Negative Discipline

“…Within the dynamic developmental systems approach, we emphasize influence that is directly pertinent to the outcome of interest. A variety of studies document the influences that mothers' psychological characteristics, behaviors toward their partners, and attitudes about fathers' roles have on various aspects of fathering, such as involvement, role satisfaction, and destructive parenting (De Luccie, 1996;Florsheim & Smith, 2005;Grossman, Pollack, & Golding, 1988;McBride et al, 2005;Simons, Whitbeck, Conger, & Melby, 1990). However, prior research does not directly address the question of whether partners' parenting impacts fathers' parenting practices, nor does it account for other important influences, including parents' risk behaviors and childhood experiences.…”

Father Involvement and Marital Relationship during Transition to Parenthood: Differences between Dual and Single-Earner Families

“…Therefore, scholarships have examined attitudinal facets of paternal role as central constructs for understanding father involvement, like general ideology about paternal and maternal roles in the family, with special reference to the level of traditionalism of gender ideology and role attitudes, as well as the father's investment in his paternal identity (Bulanda, 2004;gaunt, 2005, 2006McBride et al, 2005;Paterna & Martínez, 2006, 2009Rane & McBride, 2000).…”

La paternité en contexte migratoire : étude comparative de l’expérience d’engagement paternel et de la construction de l’identité paternelle d’immigrants magrébins de première et de deuxième génération

“…L'identité paternelle se construit en fonction de la conception qu'ont les pères de leur rôle paternel (McBride et al, 2005). Selon Le Camus (2005), l'identité paternelle comprend trois dimensions du rôle du père, soit la présence en termes d'investissement et de stabilité, l'implication directe auprès de l'enfant et la différenciation sexuelle de son rôle par rapport à celui de la mère.…”

“…Deux défis principaux auxquels sont confrontés les pères portent sur le développement de l'identité paternelle et l'engagement paternel (de Montigny et Lacharité, 2004;Dubeau, 2002). Ces concepts sont interreliés, puisque l'engagement du père auprès de son enfant est tributaire de son identité paternelle, c'est-à-dire de l'importance qu'il accorde à son rôle paternel (McBride et al, 2005). La transition à la paternité est particulièrement complexe pour les pères immigrants, car ceux-ci vivent simultanément deux transitions, soit celle de la parentalité et celle de l'immigration.…”