This study explores undergraduate social work students' relationships with maternal and paternal caregivers and students' perceptions of contemporary maternal and paternal roles. The research is based on a convenience sample of 96 undergraduate social work students attending 3 public state universities. Results show that students experienced significantly less warmth and nurturance from their fathers than their mothers. Students also experienced paternal rejection at rates higher than those reported by respondents in other studies. These findings add to research that demonstrates relationship difficulties in social work students' families of origin. Social work students also tend to hold a range of traditional and nontraditional views of maternal and paternal roles that indicate sensitivity to variations in parental roles and behaviors within and across genders. Implications for pedagogy and research are discussed.