Nothing in the world has more stereotypes than ‘what the ideal man should be.’ Some think it should be more masculine, while others believe that it’s okay for men to embrace themselves as human beings before men and be as vulnerable as women.
Fatherhood and masculinity
However, in particular, when it comes to parenting or fatherhood, we can all agree that an ideal father is the one who provides and is there for his kids. But which among the t women we mentioned above is capable of doing this more effectively?
In a recent study published in the Journal of Psychology of Men and Masculinities, researchers were surprised to find that men with some characteristics regarded as overly masculine were more likely to be better fathers than infants. The lead author and professor at the Ohio State University, Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan, remarked that the study proves that some otherwise traditional male stereotypes can be associated with good parenting.
However, the study found that even with those traditional masculine characteristics, hostile sexism was linked to poorer parenting. The study also concluded that men who believed that it was only the man’s job to provide income for the family were ranked as poor fathers to infants.
Masculinity and co-parenting
The subjects of the study are part of Prof. Sullivan’s long-term study on dual-earning couples. In this particular study, the men were evaluated on their nurturing capabilities by answering questions on their views on fathers participating in child upbringing duties like cooking and bathing the infant.
When the infants were nine months old, the researchers observed how the men related to the infants when they were on their own and when the mother was around. They used this information to rate the participants’ nurturing capabilities and how good they were at co-parenting.
The results were that the men who were more willing to nurture the infants were also great at co-parenting. These men also surprisingly described themselves as having more masculine traits.’
