Childcare and parenting practices in Singapore: A comparison of fathers’ and mothers’ involvement

Abstract

The extent to which fathers and mothers adopted various childcare and parenting practices in Singapore was examined. Interviews were conducted with 530 parent–child dyads (involving 1060 participants), with parents and children (from age 10–12) responding independently and concurrently in separate rooms. Mothers were more likely than fathers to be children's main and preferred caregivers. Fathers reported using less physical punishment than mothers did, and were also perceived to be less warm and accepting by their children. These findings support the view that power assertive discipline may still be compatible with warmth in parenting at least in this culture. In Confucian societies, parenting concepts involving elements of authoritarianism may be seen as a positive sign of concern.

A Systematic Review of Parenting in Singapore: Insights to the Culture-Specific Functions of Styles and Practices

“…Based on these findings, maternal authoritarianism seems to have a more positive connotation in this cultural context than paternal authoritarianism. One possible explanation for this is that in Singapore, mothers tend to be the main caregivers for children (Cheung & Hawkins, 2014). In a way, authoritarian mothering, as exemplified by a high degree of control with little room for negotiation, may have been interpreted favourably as care and concern, or at least as an act that is normative without any negative implication.…”

Nurse’s Role About Fathers Baby Care Participation

“…İlk kez bebeğini görüp kucağına alması ile babanın teması gerçekleşmektedir. Bu durum babada güçlü duygusal bir etki yaratırken babayı, bebeğin ve bakımın uzağında tutan kültürel uygulamalar ve toplumsal cinsiyete yönelik roller babanın babalık uyum sürecini geciktirebilmektedir (Alpöge, 2001;Güngörmüş, 2003;Sherwen ve ark., 1999 (Shan & Hawkins, 2014;Yeung, 2013).…”

Family Role and Good Environmental Behavior

“…One of them is in teaching children as early as possible to love their environment. Parents teach their children to develop good moral behavior [8]. Different cultural lifestyles reflect environmental behavior in various ways [9].…”