Relationship between Maternal Gatekeeping and Paternal Personality in Families with Preschoolers

Maternal Gatekeeping is an important factor to consider when assessing the closeness and quality of the father’s relationship with his children. It consists of maternal beliefs and behaviors that can facilitate or hinder paternal involvement with the child. Among several factors that affect these maternal behaviors is the father’s personality. As few studies have investigated the relationship between these variables. This research was aimed at comparing fathers’ and mothers’ perceptions of maternal gatekeeping and investigate the effects of paternal perception of their personality on maternal and paternal perceptions of mother’s gatekeeping in families with children aged four to six years old. A total of 171 couples from southern Brazil who answered the Maternal Gatekeeping Questionnaire and the Big Five Personality Factors Inventory participated in the study. The results showed moderate levels of maternal gatekeeping and high levels of conscientiousness and paternal kindness. Comparative analyzes indicated that fathers perceived higher levels of confirmation of maternal identity compared to mothers themselves, and mothers perceived at a higher level than fathers that household chores and childcare are part of the maternal role. Multiple linear regressions indicated that the more neuroticism, the greater was the paternal perception of maternal control by norms and domestic responsibilities, and the more extroversion, the fewer mothers reported having control over domestic norms and responsibilities. The relationship between personal characteristics in interaction with historical-social constructions of gender that affect maternal beliefs and behaviors about household chores and childcare, influencing paternal involvement is reinforced.