Still Mother after All These Years: Infants Still Prefer Mothers over Fathers (If They Have the Choice)

Abstract

Fathering and mothering have changed in many ways within the last decades. Earlier studies showed a clear hierarchy in infant attachment figures with a preference for mothers. This study examined whether infants in the 21st century still prefer mothers over fathers in their expression of attachment behaviors, whether differences in parental involvement still exist, and whether this will result in differences in attachment security to mother and father. A total of 50 German families with infants between 10 and 19 months were observed in an experimental setting and during home visits. Parents reported on their involvement. The results revealed a clear hierarchy with regard to the duration of attachment behaviors directed towards mothers, followed by fathers and strangers. Mothers reported to be more involved in child care on weekdays compared to fathers. Involvement was not associated with attachment variables. Attachment security to mother and father was positively related and did not differ significantly. Infants in the 21st century in a Western country still prefer mothers over fathers in their expression of attachment behaviors. Mothers were more involved in child care than fathers. However, these differences did not result in differences in attachment security to mother and father.

A Family Systems Perspective on Attachment Security and Dependency to Mother and Father in Preschool: Differential and Reciprocal Effects on Children’s Emotional and Behavioral Problems

“…The results also revealed that AQS attachment security to mother and father is moderately positively correlated similar as reported in other studies [86,91]. Moreover, AQS dependency to mother and father showed an even higher positive association, suggesting that AQS dependency might be a characteristic of the child and no relationship specific characteristic [38].…”

“…Thus, attachment security and dependency seem to be slightly more independent in child-father than in child-mother relationships. This would somehow support the idea that attachment to mother is characterized by a higher frequency of closer emotional interactions, whereas child-father attachment is characterized by more challenging interactions and more autonomy support [85,86]. However, this also…”

Attachment and Maladjustment: The Role of Effortful Control Development During Middle Childhood

“…Attachment researchers are increasingly aware of the importance of attachment to father and that attachment to father could add important insights to the study of the associations between attachment and children’s developmental outcomes (e.g., Deneault et al, 2021; Dagan & Sagi-Schwartz, 2018). The current study’s focus on attachment towards mother makes sense as maternal attachment appears a stronger predictor of children’s mental health than paternal attachment (e.g., ZImmermann et al, 2022), but other research suggests that the conjoint inclusion of attachment to both parents does provide a more nuanced understanding of links between attachment and mental health outcomes (Rivers et al, 2022). So, including attachment towards father in attachment -EC research could be a valuable avenue for future research.…”

Satisfaction With Children’s Achievements and Health Outcomes in a Sample of Community Older Adults in Nigeria

“…The gender difference may be accounted for by the variations in the levels of social and emotional connections of children with their parents during the advanced years. Compared to fathers, children tend to form deeper emotional relationships with their mothers ( Lewis & Lamb, 2003 ; Portu-Zapirain, 2013 ; Zimmermann et al, 2022 ). These close ties put mothers in a better position to benefit more from children’s assistance.…”