An Exploratory Study of Korean Fathering I : Paternal Involvement and Children's Sex Role Orientation

아버지의 역할수행에 관한 탐색적 연구 I : 아버지의 역할참여와 아동의 성역할 지향

Little is known about the relationship between fathers and their preadolescent children in Korea or about variations in fathering by SES and sex role orientation. The purpose of this exploratory research was to examine variation in contemporary Korean fathering (e.g., warmth of fathering, frequency of father involvement, and task share of father involvement) and its influence on children's sex role development. One hundred and twenty-nine fathers, mothers, and their 11-13-year-old children completed standardized survey questionnaires addressing their childrearing practices, parental role involvement, spousal support, and sex role orientations. Data were analyzed using MANOVAs, t-test, correlational analyses, and multiple regression analyses. Mothers reported more warmth in parenting than did fathers. Regardless of sex of child middle class fathers reported more warmth than lower class fathers and lower frequency of task share than lower class fathers. Regardless of SES, fathers with working wives reported higher levels of task share of involvement relative to their spouse. Fathers who were more frequently involved with their children tended to receive greater support from their wives for paternal involvement. There were no differences in parenting by sex of child nor was fathering associated with children's sex role orientation. Girls' femininity was related to fathers' masculinity. SES, maternal support, fathers' femininity, parents' education level, and maternal work status had predictive ability for the ecological view that fathering is a dynamic process predicted by personal characteristics as well as contextual factors.