Daddy’s girls? Fathers are ‘more attentive to daughters than sons’
It’s a well-worn stereotype – the doting father who shares an inseparable bond with his young ‘Daddy’s girl’.
But there might be a grain of truth to it – after a study found that fathers with toddler-age daughters were more attentive and responsive to them than fathers with sons of the same age.
The study, published in Behavioral Neuroscience found that fathers sang more to their daughters and spoke more openly about emotions.
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By contrast, fathers of sons indulged in more rough-and-tumble play – and encouraged them with language about ‘winning’ and achievements.
Researchers monitored the behaviour of fathers with young daughters and sons – and made the Dads wear brain-scanning MRI caps.
‘If the child cries out or asks for Dad, fathers of daughters responded to that more than did fathers of sons,’ said lead researcher Jennifer Mascaro, PhD, of Emory University.
‘We should be aware of how unconscious notions of gender can play into the way we treat even very young children.”
‘The fact that fathers may actually be less attentive to the emotional needs of boys, perhaps despite their best intentions, is important to recognize.’
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