WEDNESDAY, June 16 (HealthDay News) -- The different ways
mothers and fathers play with their child helps shape a toddler's
view of what is masculine and what is feminine, new research
suggests.
The observation stems from an analysis of videotaped
interactions -- shot as part of the U.S. National Institute of
Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care --
from among 80 families living in two small Kansas cities.
The tapes included 15-minute sessions in which the parents
played with their child, and 10-minute sessions in which the
parents gave their child a snack.
All groupings of interaction were taped, including mother-son,
mother-daughter, father-son and father-daughter combinations.
Lead author Eric Lindsey of Penn State Berks and colleagues
first observed that the verbal dynamics shifted depending on
whether the parent was caregiving or playing with his or her
toddler. When feeding their child, the focus of communication was
parent-centered, they noted, with children accepting that the
parent was in control. But when playing, interactions were more
equal and the child was more involved in directing the
interaction.
There was very little gender difference seen in the way boys and
girls behaved in either context.
However, although parents behaved similarly when care-giving,
the behaviors of mothers and fathers differed when at play. Fathers
were found to be more assertive, while mothers were more
cooperative and helpful.
Such differences are likely to be picked up by children over
time and linked by toddlers to gender roles, Lindsey and his team
report in the current issue of
Sex Roles. Assertiveness is likely to be viewed by youngsters as a male trait, while children end up thinking of compliancy and flexibility as feminine qualities.
"It would appear that children in the same family have different experiences in their play interactions with their mothers and fathers," the authors state in a news release. "Such differences may teach children indirect lessons about gender roles and reinforced gender-typed patterns of behavior that they then carry into contexts outside of the family."
The findings were published online June 10 in the journal
Sex Roles.
More information
Fore more on parenting and gender roles, try the
National Crime Prevention Council.