The perceptions of gender roles in parenting: An in-depth interview study

Abstract

This ethnographic research paper addresses gender roles changes in parenting as perceived by a diverse population at a U.S. university. Gender roles in parenting may seem simple at first glance with the traditional stereotype of mothers being the caregivers and the fathers breadwinners. However, this line between the genders and the roles they ought to play in parenting is gradually being blurred as society progresses. For a deeper insight into this movement, in-depth interview was used to understand perceptions of people from different age groups, genders, backgrounds, and nationalities from a U.S. university in a more holistic manner. Data were collected from interviews with 16 participants of American, Italian, Honduran, Croatian, Finnish, Indian, German-Nepali, Bosnian, Danish and Thai nationalities. The findings show that the perceptions of people towards parental gender roles have become more “equal” over the course of time and that there are various causes related to these changes including education, living environment, biological make-up and historical factors.