Determinants of Paternal Involvement in Childcare in Dual-Earner Families with Preschool Children

Dual-earner parents (N = 119) of preschool children enrolled in licensed childcare centers completed anonymous questionnaires that examined work and family variables as related to paternal involvement in three areas: engagement (i.e., one-on-one interaction with the child), responsibility (i.e., taking care of the child*s needs), and accessibility (i.e., being available to the child without directly interacting). Fathers' reports of responsibility were predicted by beliefs about fathering and structural variables (i.e., hours worked). Similarly, fathers' beliefs about fathering and efficacy in the parenting role predicted fathers' reports of engagement. Fathers' reports of accessibility were predicted by fathers' perceived competence in parenting and family variables (i.e., mothers' marital satisfaction). The percentage of time fathers reported that they spent as their child's primary caregiver was predicted by structural variables and belief variables (i.e., beliefs about how involved fathers should be in parenting and self-efficacy in the parenting role). In addition, mothers' reports of paternal responsibility and engagement were predicted by structural variables and family variables (i.e., mothers' marital satisfaction). Structural variables predicted mothers' reports of paternal accessibility. Mothers' reports of the percentage of time fathers spent as the child's primary caregiver were predicted by structural variables and family variables (i.e., marital satisfaction).