Who will become a caring father?

Men who cared for a baby in the first days of his life become more caring fathers. And their children do better in school. Data from the latest research.

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Paternity leave is a relatively new phenomenon, and we don’t yet know much about how it affects a child’s development. Nevertheless, interesting data already exists. For example, Norwegian psychologists found that children whose fathers took parental leave had better school performance. This is especially true for girls: at school they literally blossom.

In another study, fathers were asked questions about their basic parenting responsibilities, such as whether they read books to their children or help them brush their teeth. According to this indicator, no country deserves a standing ovation: everywhere, as it turned out, less than 50% of fathers share daily care with mothers. The researchers first thought that this activity depended on income and education level. But then another pattern was discovered: fathers who took leave to care for newborn children were more willing to help their wives in the future. For example, five out of ten fathers said they change diapers. In this group, there were many more who feed, clothe, bathe and play with children.

Moreover, the habits that have arisen in men in the first year of a child’s life are fixed. Fathers who cared for a newborn, and after 2 years, were more involved in children than those who did not take parental leave. As the child grew older, the men switched from household chores about the child to tasks related to his education. In Britain, for example, these fathers were three times more likely to report reading to their children than fathers who did not initially care for their child.

Perhaps the explanation for “active fatherhood” is that these men are initially, by nature, more devoted people? Isn’t that why they resignedly change diapers and agree to re-read a book about Peppa Pig with their children 20 times? OECD researchers tested this by looking at which fathers attended parenting courses and were present at the birth (two indicators of commitment). The hypothesis turned out to be wrong. Those who dared to endure the tedious courses and the dramatic spectacle of childbirth were by no means any more caring. The exception is those who … have taken care leave.

Unfortunately, so far, young fathers, even in developed countries, are entitled to only a short and low-paid vacation. Therefore, older men, officially married, well-educated, with their own home spend time with children more often. In other words, the dividends from “active fatherhood” go primarily to children from wealthy families.

OECD – Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Its staff analyzed long-term studies of the lives of children born at the turn of the 99th and 90st centuries in the USA, Australia, Great Britain and Denmark. In terms of living standards, these countries differ little, and ideas about whether a father needs to be with a newborn in the first days of his life differ significantly. For example, in Denmark, about XNUMX% of fathers took at least a week’s leave after the birth of a child, and XNUMX% stayed at home for more than two weeks. In the US, where the law does not give men the right to parental leave, about a quarter of new fathers take less than a week off, two-thirds return to work in less than two weeks.

For more information, The dad dividend

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