Women’s opinion on fatherhood and on men's activities of care

Abstract

This study aims at analyzing women's conception of shared parenthood and child-raising responsibilities. This is a quantitative and descriptive research that included the participation of one hundred (100) women hospitalized at a University Hospital in the city of Curitiba, PR, Brazil. The results show that single women have little support of the father in child-care activities and that they tend to assimilate the man's role. Women in a common-law marriage or married claim to recognize the importance of a father’s care, although in most cases they restrict the number of activities they can perform. It is important to emphasize that health professionals should encourage for parental responsibility to be equally shared, so the father’s participation is not merely complementary to the mother’s.

Descriptors: Paternity; Child care; Role playing.