Participation in Child-Raising

A survey conducted by Child magazine and reported in the 3/93 issue found more fathers today taking part in child-raising than those of a generation ago.

• Putting children to bed (62 percent now; 16 percent then)
• Changing diapers (53 to 6 percent)
• Attending kids’ sporting events (52 to 37 percent)
• Reading to children (49 to 14 percent)
• Bathing children (46 to 24 percent)
• Feeding children (40 to 12 percent)
• Helping with homework (30 to 21 percent)
• Attending parent/teacher conferences (45 to 24 percent)
• Cleaning house (25 to 8 percent)
• Washing dishes (44 to 16 percent)

Some things haven’t changed. Nearly two out of three of today’s fathers (65 percent) discipline their children—about the same as their fathers (61 percent).

On the downside, 49 percent of the women say their husbands give more attention to the children than to them, but 72 percent of the men disagree and say they do not give the children more attention than their wives.

Leadership, Fall, 1993, p. 129