Adult children are the primary family supports to the frail elderly, and daughters predominate as providers of direct services. The trend toward smaller families and the increased proportion of working women, however, may limit the availability of daughters. Adult children (N=131) identified as the primary caregiving relative to an older parent…

Reports a study of mathematically and verbally talented children which investigated hypotheses that (1) mathematically related fields are sex typed as male domains and (2) parents give differential encouragement to sons and daughters in math. Results indicated that neither hypothesis related to current sex differences in mathematical reasoning…

Finds a significant relationship between characteristics of mothers' social networks and those of their children in a sample of 72 Swedish mothers and children. Nature and strength of relationships varied with mothers' marital status and children's gender. Networks of married mothers and daughters were most similar; networks of single mothers and…

This study used an ecological framework to examine predictors of paternal involvement in urban Head Start programs among 134 fathers and father figures with preschool-age children. Paternal involvement measures included teacher and father perceptions of participation, as well as amount of time as obtained from daily record sheets. The findings of…

The Illinois Fatherhood Initiative is a statewide non-profit organization whose mission is to connect children and fathers by promoting responsible fathering and helping equip men to become better fathers and father figures. This brochure was produced by the Illinois Fatherhood Initiative to help give fathers and communities the necessary tools to…

Data from a longitudinal study of women and their children indicate that: (1) concepts of women's roles have become more egalitarian; (2) youth, labor force experience, and educational attainment positively influence egalitarian attitudes; (3) church attendance and identification with fundamentalist religions predict traditional outlooks; and (4)…

Examines mothers' and fathers' speech for similarities and differences as expressed in four categories of messages to their preschool daughters and sons: plans, strategies, symbolic play utterances, and extrasituational references. (MP)

Examined encouragement patterns, parental opportunity awareness, and family affect in order to assess the impact of parent-child interaction on child's attainment values. Found that the variables examined accounted for more of the variation in sons' attainment than daughters' attainment. (Author/GC)

Stable characteristics of female rhesus monkeys with offspring, in terms of Confident and Excitable scores, were significantly positively correlated with the respective scores of their female offspring but not their male offspring. Female parents' Excitable scores were significantly negatively correlated with males' Confident scores. How this…

Studied personality change in 34 men across the transition to parenthood to determine if measurable change in men's personalities coincides with adoption of father role, and whether this change is mediated by actual involvement in fathering. Fathers' level of involvement with sons was correlated with decreased self-esteem; level of involvement…

Results of a study of 925 educated Chinese who recalled child-rearing patterns of their parents indicated that greater perceived parental dominating control was related to less perceived parental warmth and that greater parental warmth and less parental control were related to greater perceived family harmony. (RH)

Explains that the Trivers-Willard hypothesis says that high-status parents favor sons over daughters while low-status parents favor daughters over sons. Examines whether the Trivers-Willard hypothesis is warranted by testing whether its predictions hold true among parents of adolescents in the United States. Finds little evidence to support the…

This article analyzes the effects of the number of siblings, their sex composition, and other individualization indicators intertwined with the development of a beanpole-type kin structure on exchanges among generations in Spain. The effects of this development vary depending on the point of view adopted: that of the parents or that of the adult…

The diagnosis and evaluation of families applying for family therapy is necessary to identify problems in their relationships that can be effectively integrated into treatment. In the Family Distance Doll Placement technique, a diagnostic tool for assessing patterns of closeness and distance within the family, parents are asked to make up stories…

The importance of a child's relationship with the same gender parent, which influences their interactions with mothers and fathers is discussed. Forty 2-year-old girls and boys were observed in interactions with mothers and fathers at home, and behavior ratings were based on the following criteria: availability, warmth, and power structure.…