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Fathers' participation in child care has implications for the well-being of both parents, and thus, factors influencing participation need investigation. This study examines the relationship between maternal employment characteristics and father participation in child care by comparing trends in two samples of couples: (a) a heterogeneous sample of 214 homemakers and employed women and (b) a sample of 139 professional women. Results indicate that husbands are more involved in child care when their wives are employed. However, women are the primary caregivers regardless of employment status. Implications are discussed with an appreciation of the complexity of the child care participation process.
Darling‐Fisher et al. (Mon,) studied this question.