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Sexists make poor parents: A new study
25.10.2023 14:50
Updated: 13.05.2024 21:22
Have you ever wondered whether people's views affect their parenting style?
Researchers conducted a study that found when fathers and mothers believe in men having power and authority in society and the family, they tend to be less responsive to their children during family interactions.
This was the first study of its kind.
How it was tested
Lead author explained that for many years, we've known that sexist beliefs can lead to negative behaviors towards women, such as discrimination and violence.
However, this study suggests that these attitudes also affect parenting.
In the research, families were video-recorded during family interactions, and researchers assessed how parents responded to their children, looking at warmth, involvement, engagement, and sensitivity.
The study found that less responsive parents, both mothers and fathers, held higher levels of "hostile sexism," which means they favored male authority and had negative attitudes toward women challenging men's power.
While it was expected that fathers with these sexist attitudes might be less responsive, the surprising finding was that mothers with similar attitudes were also less responsive to their children.
There could be several reasons for this, such as mothers following the father's lead in family interactions, or mothers restricting the father's involvement in parenting, leading to less engagement with their children.
Responsive parenting is crucial for a child's healthy development, and its absence can lead to behavioral problems, emotional difficulties, and lower academic achievement.
However, the study highlights the need to understand how and why sexist attitudes impact parenting, which is closely tied to gender roles that reinforce inequality.
Why it's important
This emphasizes the importance of breaking down harmful gender stereotypes.
The researchers used questions to determine the levels of sexism, and the findings suggest that improving child health and wellbeing is closely linked to changing attitudes that restrict women and men to specific roles.
