2-205 - Gender Roles and Expectancies in Parenting Research Involving Both Mothers and Fathers

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

Research on parenting has become increasingly nuanced, with greater emphasis on the socio-cultural context influencing parents. One important aspect of this context is gender, including gender roles and gender-related expectancies espoused by mothers and fathers. This symposium focuses on gender-related methodological and conceptual issues in parenting research. The first paper applies qualitative and quantitative approaches to studying the beliefs parents hold about gender and emotion in middle childhood children. Findings highlight the conflict between parents’ perceived pressures to conform to socially-defined gender roles and their own values of gender-neutrality. The second paper extends our understanding of gender expectancies in parenting by investigating intensive parenting beliefs (i.e., beliefs that mothers are the essential parents and that parenting is inherently self-sacrificing) in expectant mothers and fathers during the transition to parenthood. Findings suggest these beliefs may negatively affect marital satisfaction and fathers’ confidence. Finally, the symposium would not be complete without a discussion of culturally-sensitive research. The last paper will present distinct links between mother and father parenting practices and child emotion regulation in a large sample of 1,900 Chinese mothers and fathers. Findings suggest specific maternal and paternal parenting constructs in Chinese culture might be distinctly important for children’s emotion regulation. The discussant will then integrate key findings from each of the presentations and offer a conceptual framework for the inclusion of gender-related issues within parenting research. The audience will be invited to discuss topics such as culturally-defined gender roles and expectancies and their influence on empirical findings in parenting research.

Sub Unit

• Sex, Gender

Chair

• Kristel Thomassin, University of Guelph

Discussant

• Jacquelyn Raftery-Helmer, Worcester State University

Individual Presentations

• A Mixed-method Analysis of Parents’ Gendered Beliefs About Emotion in Middle Childhood Boys and Girls - Presenting Author: Kristel Thomassin, University of Guelph; Non-Presenting Author: Jessica A Seddon, University of Guelph; Non-Presenting Author: Oana Bucsea, York University; Non-Presenting Author: K Jacky Chan, University of Ottawa

• Intensive Parenting Beliefs in the Transition to Parenthood: Relations to Marital and Coparenting Relationships - Presenting Author: Anne Shaffer, University of Georgia; Non-Presenting Author: Violeta J Rodriguez, University of Georgia; Non-Presenting Author: Geoffrey Brown, University of Georgia

• Parenting Characteristics and Child Emotion Regulation in Chinese Families With Children of Middle Childhood: The Role of Gender - Presenting Author: Zhuo Rachel Han, Beijing Normal University; Non-Presenting Author: Nigela Ahemaitijiang, Beijing Normal University