Mexican fathers and caregiving: The influence of acculturation, couple conflict, coparenting, and gender of child

Research on culture presents a conflicting perception and approach towards the examination of Mexican fathers and parenting practices. Mexican fathers' caregiving practices and engagement is often defined by the stereotypical perception of machismo. The purpose of this study was to move away from that model and examine the prominent variables observed to influence paternal involvement. It also examines acculturation to account for a possible cultural influence. The present study examined the influence of acculturation, coparenting, couple conflict, and gender of infant in paternal involvement in Mexican decent fathers in the state of California. Paternal involvement was defined as involvement in caregiving activities and social and emotional investment in the infant. Participants were Mexican fathers (N = 28) of infants between 12 and 47 months of age. All fathers were residing in the state of California. There were no significant findings for the variables of interest. Demographic analysis suggested that education was positively correlated with acculturation but negatively correlated with coparenting. Additionally, household income appeared to influence paternal involvement in caregiving behaviors and paternal social and emotional investment in the infant. In addition, the number of children per household was positively correlated to coparenting.;Keywords: Mexican fathers, acculturation, coparenting, couple conflict, caregiving, investment.