Paternal Involvement and the Well-Being of Fathers and Mothers of Young Children

Recen t scholars generally agree that fathers historically have been “outsiders” in the central family p&ccss, but that recenlly the-ideal has been for more paternal participation in internal family relations (Lamb, 1986, 1987; Stern, 1991 ; Plcck, 1979, 1987). Research on paternal involvement therefore has focused on a descriptive analysis of men’s changing roles. For example, LaRossa (1988) and others (Coverinan & Sheley, 1986; Franklin, 1988; Furstenbcrg, 1988; Lamb, Pleck, & Levine, 1986) document that, despite the changing ideal, actual changes in paternal interactions with children over the past several decades have been small. While emphasizing the stagnant character of men’s family participation within the context of a changing ideal, research has primarily addressed men’s lack of family involvement or even absence, and the well-being ol children and occasionally women. However, little attention has been paid to the consequences of men’s family involvement, limited though it may be, on men themselves. In the present study, we analyze the effects of the contexl ol parenting, cspecially fathers’ family participation, on the well-being of fathcrs, relative to that of mothers. Wc posit that such analysis is especially crucial during early parenthood, and should incorporate an understanding ol gender role identity and work overload. The birth 3f a child and the ensuing task of child rearing are widely considered to signal one of the most significant transitions within American