Parental Effort in Students’ Perceptions: A Cross-Cultural Study of 16 countries

The pathways through which paternal involvement in child-rearing manifests, as well as its subsequent impact on child development, are diverse and influenced by a complex interplay of individual, social, cultural, economic, and environmental variables. Cultural values and societal perceptions of what is desirable or undesirable significantly shape parental practices, as well as the quality of children’s socialization and the values they internalize. This study aims to conduct a cross-cultural comparative assessment of attitudes toward paternal effort among youth from sixteen countries and to identify factors associated with paternal behaviour. To achieve this, data were collected using a standardized methodology across sixteen nations characterized by varying cultural contexts and religious affiliation and beliefs. We used pool of questionnaires: A short version of the Parental Effort Scale, Attitudes toward Women Scale and Economic Evaluation Questionnaire. Our cross-cultural investigation into children’s perceptions of paternal care conducted in 16 countries (total sample of 10,009 participants), revealed the influence of multiple factors. There include cultural norms and traditions (e.g. the country of study, religion, gender equality) and socio-economic factors (e.g. family status, socioeconomic standing, number of children in the household). In our study, religion emerged as the most prominent cultural determinant. However, socioeconomic factors had a more substantial impact on respondents’ self-reported levels of paternal involvement. All findings are presented in a cross-cultural comparative framework.