Examination of Mother Characteristics Affecting The Maternal Gatekeeping

There are many factors that effect maternal gatekeeping, which is defined as the behaviors of mothers that encourage, control or discourage the father-child relationship. In this study, it is aimed to examine the mother characteristics that affect the gatekeeping behaviors of mothers who have children in early childhood. The sample of the study consists of 385 mothers with a mean age of 32.71 (S = 7.61). Participants completed the Maternal Gatekeeping Scale, Parental Self-Efficacy Scale, Gender Roles Attitude Scale, Semantic Differentation Scale-Myself as Mother, Perception Measurement for Father’s Role, Parenting Daily Hassles Scale and demographic information form. According to the results of the hierarchical regression analysis conducted separately for each gatekeeping behavior; mother's perception of paternal role, perception of father's competence and motherhood self-assessment predicted the encouragement dimension positively and discouragement dimension negatively. In addition, it was found that the traditional gender roles of the mother negatively predicted the encouragement, but positively predicted the control. Finally, it was found that daily difficulties experienced by the mother in raising a child positively predicted discouragement and control. It is thought that the results obtained from the study are important in terms of understanding the mother characteristics underlying maternal gatekeeping behaviors and being a guide for intervention programs. Keywords: Maternal gatekeeping, maternal self-assessment, traditional gender roles, paternity role perception, paternal competence

Infant negative affect moderates longitudinal associations between maternal gatekeeping and toddlers’ social–emotional difficulties

Maternal gatekeeping is characterized by the extent to which mothers engage in behaviors that ultimately serve to inhibit (i.e., gate close) or encourage (i.e., gate open) father involvement in childrearing. This study considered direct and indirect associations between observed and reported maternal gatekeeping and children’s social–emotional difficulties. Data come from a sample of 182 parents who transitioned to parenthood in 2008–2010 and their young children. Results of longitudinal path analyses indicated mothers’ perceptions of maternal gate closing at 3-months postpartum were associated with greater dysregulation (β = .21, 95% CI [.08, .35], p = .002) and externalizing (β = .25, 95% CI [.10, .41], p = .001) in 26-month-old toddlers. Observed maternal gate opening at 3-months postpartum predicted lower dysregulation (β = −.18, 95% CI [−.32, −.05], p = .008) in 26-month-old toddlers. Observed fathers’ parenting quality did not mediate associations between maternal gatekeeping and child social–emotional difficulties. However, a statistically significant interaction between infant negative affect and observed maternal gate opening emerged as a predictor of toddler dysregulation, such that the adjusted negative effect of observed maternal gate opening on toddler dysregulation was strongest when infant negative affect was low. Statistically significant interactions between fathers’ perceptions of gate closing and infant negative affect also emerged as predictors of toddler dysregulation and externalizing. Infants high in negative affect exposed to maternal gate closing were at the greatest risk for externalizing and dysregulation difficulties. Implications for maternal gatekeeping theory and research are discussed.

The influence of partners on fathers’ decision-making about parental leave in Italy: Rethinking maternal gatekeeping

The article discusses the accounts of 35 heterosexual Italian fathers about their partners’ influence on their decision-making about taking parental leave. While Italian men’s low use of parental leave has been explored, their partners’ influence on their choices in this matter has not. Using interviews with working fathers, 25 of whom took parental leave, what emerges is the primary role taken on by women. However, despite the pivotal role played by women in decision-making, the data show a complex and dynamic scenario: on the one hand, men’s choice to take parental leave is the result of a process of negotiation that involves the way gender is performed, and in which men, too, are active subjects of social change; on the other, men who do not take parental leave talk about a ‘natural’ choice linked to the fact that their partners want to be there with the child. However, the latter is the result of gender stereotypes that position fathers as mothers’ helpers and prioritize men’s commitment in the labor market. For these reasons, the data also contribute to refining the notion of ‘maternal gatekeeping’, reconsidering it in light of how gender is done and redone.