For a majority of women, nurturing is an innate trait. We do it to our girlfriends; women who are mothers do it to their children, other people’s children, and on and on. A father can also provide nurture, but it does not present in the same way and can often be stunted due to limited or lack of fatherly involvement.
What makes some fathers more likely to be involved than others? A number of factors can determine a father’s success, including the following:
- The father’s own upbringing (including his relationship with his parents)
- His cultural history
- His biological history (such as mental illness, alcoholism, health)
- His characteristics (employment, age, personality, etc.)
- The mother’s characteristics
- Contextual factors (relationship with the mother, community connections, etc.)
- The child’s characteristics
Because the role of the father is less defined in Western society than the…
