The Double Standard of Praise and Criticism for Mothers and Fathers

Abstract

Praise and criticism reported by parents was examined to investigate the double standard of parenting for men and women. Transcripts from interviews with parents were coded for the types of praise and criticism reported. Repeated-measures categorical analyses confirmed double standards of both praise and criticism. Mothers reported being criticized more than fathers did for too little involvement at home or too much involvement in paid work. Fathers reported being criticized more than mothers were, for too much involvement at home or too little in paid work. Fathers, particularly equal sharers, reported more praise than mothers for involvement in parenting, whereas mothers reported more praise than fathers for successfully combining family and work. Women also reported receiving both more praise and more criticism about their husbands than their husbands reported about them. Double standards of both praise and criticism were discussed in terms of their potential to discourage nontraditional family life.

Desigualdades na divisão do trabalho familiar, sentimento de justiça e processos de comparação social

“…Esta duplicidade de critérios transparece, por exemplo, nos elogios e nas críticas que homens e mulheres recebem: as mulheres são mais criticadas do que os homens se não se envolverem suficientemente na família ou se se envolverem em demasia na sua actividade profissional. Pelo contrário, os homens são mais criticados do que as mulheres se se envolverem em demasia na família ou se não se envolverem suficientemente na sua actividade profissional (Deutsch & Saxon, 1998;Stryker & Statham, 1985 (Wentworth & Chell, 2001). Em Portugal parecem ser ainda mais raros os homens que se dedicam exclusivamente às responsabilidades domésticas (Shouten, 2005).…”

Perceptions of Mothers and Fathers Who Take Temporary Work Leave

“…More specifically, men are held to a higher standard for agency and women are held to a higher standard for communal traits. For example, Deutsch and Saxon (1998) interviewed dual-earning couples and found that mothers were criticized more than fathers for perceived lack of involvement in the home while fathers were criticized more than mothers for doing too little paid work. Further, when evaluating work in and outside of the home, men are judged relative to men in a particular role and women are judged relative to women on subjective scales.…”

‘We Like You, But We Don’t Want You’—The Impact of Pregnancy in the Workplace

“…Theoretically, mothers who work can either be viewed primarily as female professionals who are competent but cold (with ensuing behavioral consequences), or as mothers/housewives who are warm but incompetent with behavioral consequences in terms of being helped and protected but still discriminated against in a passive manner. Drawing on previous research, which suggested that the categorization of mother would dominate over other possible categorizations (e.g., professional) either through cultural dominance of that view of women (Deutsch and Saxon 1998), or through that category's perceived relevance in the workplace (because of its incompatibility with the ideal worker stereotype; Ridgeway and Correll 2004), Cuddy et al (2004) asked a sample of University students to evaluate working mothers (along with childless working women and men and working fathers). Specifically, participants were asked to read a profile of a consultant who was either male or female and who either did or did not have a child and rate that consultant on a series of traits (assessing perceived warmth and competency).…”