Interesting Paradigm Shifts (and Mainstays) in the Dynamics of Parenting
According to research conducted by a financial services company which is active in the regulation of new online casino operators, mothers in particular (35%) have a soft spot for their younger children, with only six per cent admitting that their attention was split between all their children equally.
The survey also revealed that three in 10 parents said their child was their “only love” (28%), compared to half of mums who said they had a partner and a child.
Of the parents questioned, 87 per cent said that they shared equally the responsibility of raising their child.
However, just 42 per cent of fathers said they shared the parental responsibility equally with their partner, compared to 55 per cent of mums.
The parents questioned for the survey said they shared the responsibility of parenting equally, with 77 per cent of mothers and 86 per cent of fathers sharing the parenting responsibility equally, and 24 per cent saying they would often share the responsibility equally.
Nationwide chief executive Robert Falconer said this type of division in parenting between mother and father is likely to be due to the flexibility that fathers have.
“We found that men more often said they have the flexibility of being able to spend time with the children during the day.
“When mums say they do it all there’s a much higher probability they’re working hours or have carers come in, whereas fathers can usually pick up the children whenever and wherever they want.”
Paying the bills a bigger issue for fathers
While both genders acknowledge that they share the majority of the parental responsibility, only eight per cent of mums said that their partners worked equally hard, compared to 30 per cent of fathers.
The survey also asked if a parent’s partner paid for some or all of the child’s expenses. When looking at parents who did not share the parental responsibility evenly, only a quarter of mothers said that their partner paid for all of the child’s expenses, compared to 40 per Thirty per cent of mums said that their partner paid for some or all of their child’s expenses, compared to 32 per cent of fathers.
Sharon, who is a mother of three, said that her husband has his own role in the parenting process, but she also helps out.
“He makes dinner most nights, I do a lot of the grocery shopping … he’s very hands-on, whereas I’m more in the practical everyday kind of way.
“It’s not my decision on everything. I’ll call him if I have an issue with him,” she said.
Like Sharon, more mums than dads said that their partner worked equally hard, with 70 per cent of mothers agreeing with the statement and 71 per cent of fathers agreeing.
Sharon said that while it’s not an issue with her husband, it is for others.
“There’s a lot of pressure for men in New Zealand to get jobs and earn money, so they end up staying home and the children are cared for. There’s a lot of shaming [of] that.
