In Satoshi Kanazawa’s article, “Why Are Mothers Better Parents Than Fathers?” he attempts to explain why men are less dedicated and less committed to parenting than women. His argument is weak based on the inadequate and unreliable information he provides. The result is an article that is humorous at the least, but also lacks the logical support needed to make it a good argumentative article. During the course of this essay, I will address why Kanazawa’s argument is flawed and discuss why no gender is better than the other when it comes to parenting. Kanazawa begins his introduction with a scene from the 1999 horror movie The Blair Witch Project, when Heather Donahue’s character sensed her and her friends’ death in the woods so she turned the camera on herself and began apologizing to her friends’ mothers, as well as her own mother. From there, Kanazawa raises the question: But why did she apologize to their mothers, and not their fathers? He answers this question by saying, “The answer, from an evolutionary psychological perspective, is that Heather instinctively knew, as do most of us, that children are more important to their mothers than to their fathers, and, as a result, their loss would be more devastating to their mothers than to their fathers” (Kanazawa). It is apparent that Kanazawa’s claim is nothing more than an assumption he tries to broaden to the general population. Following that statement are these statistics: “According to the 1992 March/April Current Population Survey in the United States, conducted by the US Census Bureau on a nationally representative sample, 86% of custodial parents are mothers. The first national survey of the receipt of child support, conducted in 1978, reveals that less than half (49%) of ... ... middle of paper ... ...at fathers but our society has shifted toward more one parent homes with the mother being the main caretaker. In situations where the mother is the main caretaker doesn’t take away from the father or make his role less significant in any way. Although there are things that mothers do better than fathers and vice versa, there is no such idea as one being better than the other. Both parents are essential for the healthy development of a child. Works Cited Armas, Genaro C. "Single-Father Homes On The Rise." ABC News. ABC News Network, n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. Kanazawa, Satoshi. "Why Are Mothers Better Parents Than Fathers? Part I." Psychology Today. The Scientific Fundamentalist, 12 June 2008. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. Kanazawa, Satoshi. "Why Are Mothers Better Parents Than Fathers? Part II." Psychology Today. The Scientific Fundamentalist, 12 June 2008. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.
The first objection to Lafollette’s argument is that “…there may not be, or we may not be able to discover, adequate criteria of ‘a good parent’” (Lafollette 1980, 190). This is a strong and sound objection because who can universally define what constitutes a good parent? Many cultures prefer to raise their children in different ways that others might think is unacceptable. For example, some cultures believe that spanking their children is an effective form of punishment, while others condemn it as child abuse. Therefore, it seems impossible to distinguish between a “good and less than good parent” (Lafollette 1980, 190). In addition, if we did come up with a criteria, it would be too generalized (in order to include different cultures) and therefore, wouldn’t be ab...
To begin, being a father allows an individual to have an impact on their offspring. Sometimes, however, their decisions negatively impact their children. Literary expert Mitch Albom suggests...
...istics, 1999). McBride, Brent A., Sara K., Sullivan, and Ho-Ho (2005) reported about the achievement levels in a adolescent who grows up with a father, “A study of 1330 children from the PSID showed that fathers who are involved on a personal level with their child schooling increases the likelihood of their child's achievement. When fathers assume a positive role in their child's education, students feel a positive impact.” (p. 201-216). Children who do not grow up in a two parent homes, are more likely to fail and repeat a grade in school. It is also important to note that children who grow up in single parent families are less likely to have parents involved with the school, 62% of children with two parent homes have parents that are involved in school, while children from single parent homes have half of them involved in school (Nord, Winquist, West, 2001).
Biblarz and Stacey came into this already thinking that the gender of parents does not matter, but they stay open minded, often contributing sources that contradict their belief. Offering both viewpoints on the issue, they discuss why boys and girls do need a fatherly figure growing up. They state, “fathers foster
Davies, Kevin. "Nature vs. Nurture Revisited." PBS. 17 Apr. 2001. PBS. 28 Mar. 2012 .
The Weight of Not Having a Father 2The Weight of Not Having a FatherDid you know that according to a survey the U.S. Census Bureau conducted in 2010, more than twenty million children across the United States grow up without the presence of a father in the home (U.S. Census Bureau Current..., 2010)? This number does not include the millions of fathers that might be physically present but emotionally astray! The presence of a suitable father is most important when it comes to the nuclear family. A good father contributes to many aspects of a child's upbringing,
Beyond genetics, parents have an extremely significant impact on the emotional, moral, and social development of their children. This is understandable, as many children interact solely with their parents until they reach school-age. Parents have the ability to determine a child’s temperament, their social abilities, how well-behaved or in control of their emotions they are, how mature and ambitious the child will be, and so forth. (Sharpe) Furthermore, parents have both ideals for their children as well as ideals for themselves, and how they raise their children is deeply influenced by this.
Pinker continued this argument with a supported quote from a distressed mother. She was hesitant on how to implement proper fundamentals for her children as they age into adults. He referenced this mother’s opinion by answer her pressing question. He concluded that most studies on parenting are useless and do not control for heritability (Pinker, 19:15). Steven supported his claim by referring to the Mallifert twins.
Pappas, Stephanie. “Why Gay parents May Be The Best Parents”. LiveScience. 15 Jan. 2012. Web. 24
Growing up without a parent Does growing up without a father really affect a child’s life? Some may say it does and some may say it doesn’t. In this paper I will be striving for readers to understand that it does affect a child growing up fatherless. I feel like children should have both parent figures growing up because they both teach them different things and have that different effecton them that causes them to do certain things. There are many articles and interviews that proofs that it does affect kids growing up fatherless, and my paper is going to help support that.
Powell, Bill. "Meet The Parents." Newsweek Global 169, no. 7, September 2017, 16-23. MasterFILE Elite, EBSCOhost (accessed December 2, 2017). http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.kennesaw.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=62e2d339-8ec2-493a-adf2-5e2a20b75989%40sessionmgr101
Moore, David Scott. The Dependent Gene: The Fallacy of Nature/nurture. New York: Times, 2002. Print.
Mothers are the primary caretakers of the children. The fathers have had minimal care taking responsibilities. Many women, if they had a career before hand, have to give it up to stay at home with the child. Although, many fathers where the wives must work become important in the process of care taking because their role must increase to their children. Studies of human fathers and their infants confirm that many fathers can act sensitively with their infant (according to Parke & Sawin, 1980) and their infants form attachments to both their mothers and fathers at roughly the same age (according to Lamb, 1977).
middle of paper ... ... In the traditional society, the father’s only focus is on earning an income for the family which has a direct impact on the family members due to the lack of time spent bonding with his children and wife. The responsibility of the children falls on both parents’ shoulders, not just on the mothers. However, this is also an issue in modern society, if mothers rely too much on day-care and do not spend enough time with their children, then the same thing that happens to the father happens to the mother.
Mothers and fathers work as a great team together and their differences give the child something that the others do not. Mothers offer security and are more nurturing. Fathers Offer more hands-on play and teach their kids to be more independent. Mothers are more repetitive to their kids to teach them new things. Dads show their kids things so that they learn. Mothers pamper their sons, making them feel loved and special. Dads are strict with their daughters to keep them safe. The differences between mothers and fathers create a good balance for raising their child.