role of the father ao3

Question 1

weakness - economic implications of research into the role of the father

Answer 1

P:there are economic implications into research assessing the importance of the fathers role
E: if the fathers role is seen to be as important as a mothers in infant dev it could lead to legislation to equalise maternity and paternity leave.
E: however this may reduce the number of males (along with females) in the work force which may reduce economic productivity and place pressure on business. On the other hand it could help to address the gender pay gap, which is part due to the need of mothers taking extended absenses to care for infants
L; thus research into the role of the father has both negative and positive economic implications showing its importance in the real world.

Question 2

weakness -conflicting evidence

Answer 2

P; a further limitation into the role of the father is that there is alot of conflicting evidence
E: On one hand longitudinal studies (grossman et al) have suggested fathers are secondary attachment figure with a important, distinct role in childrens attachment
E: however is this was the case we would therfore expect that children growing up in singe mother and lesbian parent homes to turn out different in some way but this is not the case (mccallum and golomok 2004)
L; thus the conflicting evidence means the question as to whether fathers have a distincive role remains unanswered.

Question 3

strength - real word app

Answer 3

P: One strength of research into the role f the father its its real life application into offering advice to parents
E: whereby difficult decisions over roles can cause pressure or confusion, prospective parents could start considering whether or not to have a child at all.
E: research can be used to offer reassurance to parents, eg explaining that fathers are just as able to be primary caregivers like mothers are (field 1978)
L; so research into the role of the father can be used in the real world to offer reassuring advice and reduce parental anxiety.

Question 4

Weakness into role of the father research - socially sensitive

Answer 4

P:one weakness is that researching the role of the father is socially sensitive
E; if some research suggests that the role of the mother is unique and cannot be replaced by the father it may lead to single fathers and male gay couples feeling inadequate in supporting their children’s development. Whereby Geiger et al described fathers as a playmate and not a primary caregiver.
E: one the other hand if research suggests that fathers can play a role more linked to care and comfort it may lead to them taking a more active approach in caring for their infants
L: thus whilst researchers shouldn’t stay away from socially sensitive research they should be aware of implications their research may have on certain groups. Especially considering the fact that socially sensitive research has been used by institutions to shape social policy.