A suggestion for new parental roles according to children's developmental stages: The changing parental roles and practices

자녀의 발달단계에 맞는 새로운 부모역할 제안: 변화하는 부모역할 개념과 수행을 중심으로

This current study was designed to explore the meaning of being a mother and a father in contemporary Korean society by examining their roles perceived by mothers and fathers with children at different developmental stages. A total of three hundred and ninety four couples with children aged from one to seventeen years were recruited for the study, and they were asked to complete a set of questionnaires about paternal and maternal roles each. A modified version of Generative Fathering Scales by Lee et al.(1999), was used to measure the roles perceived by fathers and mothers in two areas: (1) parenting responsibilities and (2) involvement in childrearing practices. The parental roles, as expected, were viewed differently by the surveyees with children at different ages: the younger child/ren a father has, the more involvement he emphasizes in childrearing. These results indicate that the roles of mothers and fathers should be considered in the context of developing children.