The entrance to the maternal garden: environmental and personal variables that explain maternal gatekeeping

Abstract

This study examined variables that explain maternal gatekeeping (attitudes that restrict the involvement of fathers in child care) among a sample of Israeli women (n = 88) with young children aged between two and six. Based on a family systems approach, several main explanatory variables were examined: the mother's gender role ideology; desire for control; satisfaction with her husband's involvement in child care; perception of support from the extended family in child care; and background variables of the mother, child, and dyadic unit. The findings indicate that the mother's gender role ideology contributed the most to explaining maternal gatekeeping. Other significant explanatory variables were the mother's satisfaction with her husband's involvement in child care, the mother's level of education, and family income. In light of the findings, practical recommendations for family practitioners are presented.

Keywords:

• maternal gatekeeping
• gender role ideology
• desirability of control
• family support