Fathering And Children's Sex Role Orientation In Korea

Adolescence, Winter, 2000 by Jang-Ae Yang

Fewer studies have found a relationship between father absence and girls' sex role development. However, Hetherington (1972), investigating the effects of father absence due to divorce or death on the behaviors of 13- to 17-year-old girls, noted that "there are different patterns of effects of father absence on the development of girls and boys" (p. 323). More specifically, daughters of divorcees sought attention from men more often and were sexually more active than daughters of deceased fathers and daughters living in homes where fathers were present. Hetherington (1972) stated that, for "father-absent girls, the lack of opportunity for constructive interaction with a loving, attentive father has resulted in apprehension and inadequate skills in relating to males" (p. 324).

In a meta-analysis of studies conducted from 1961 to 1986, Stevenson and Black (1988) examined the relationship between paternal absence and sex role development of children. They analyzed the results based on the following variables: cause of father absence, sampling source (school setting, community setting, and atypical settings), socioeconomic status (SES), age of participants (0-6 years, 7-12 years, 13-17 years, and 18 years and above), aspects of sex role measured, operational definition of sex role, type of measure, reliability of measure, publication status, and study quality. They reported that preschool-aged boys, but not girls, were significantly affected by father absence, and that father-absent boys from lower SES families were more masculine than boys from father-present homes.

Research, therefore, suggests that reason for father absence, and age at onset of the absence, are influential in sex role development. However, it seems that onset of father absence when children are 4 to 8 years old has the most significant impact.

Although the relationship of children's sex role development and fathers' physical absence has been extensively studied, less research has addressed the impact of psychological absence (Boss, 1986). Lamb (1981) pointed out that "children whose fathers are psychologically absent (e.g., distant or inaccessible) suffer consequences that are similar to, although not as extreme as, those suffered when fathers are physically absent" (p. 30). Illustratively, Fleck and his colleagues (1980) concluded that psychological father absence (i.e., lack of father acceptance) is related to a greater frequency and extent of sexual activity among adolescent girls. Data from 160 single female college students indicated that "girls who reported low father acceptance had engaged in more sexual intercourse during the past three months than girls who reported high father acceptance" (p. 853).

In sum, there is consensus that fathering is important for children's sex role development (Biller, 1981; Johnson, 1963; Lamb, 1981, 1987; Santrock, 1977; Snow et al., 1983). Mussen (1969) has suggested that how children perceive their fathers' nurturance was the key factor in the development of sex role identity. Lamb (1981, 1987) and Santrock (1977) said that fathers are the most significant model of masculinity for their sons. It also has been suggested that adequate fathering is necessary for optimal sex role development in daughters (see Stevenson & Black, 1988). Langlois and Down (1980) stated that the father's role in the child's development of sex-typed behaviors is more decisive than the mother's role. Given the changes in family structure, however, further research on the father's role in sex role development is warranted.