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John Bowlby demonstrated that early and prolonged separation could have lasting emotional effects on a child - lead to affectionless character - more likely to have difficulties forming relationships.
Maternal deprivation hypothesis- ‘Mother love in infancy is just as important for a child’s mental health, as vitamins and minerals are for physical health’.
He identified a central role for the mother in healthy emotional development. Originally his ideas were based on his training as a freudian psychology and also the evolutionary theory, as he proposed that attachment to one caregiver was essential for survival- monotropy (leaning towards one person).

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UK- The number of stay at home dads in 2007 had increased by 83% since 93% - more than 200,000 fathers chose to stay at home and be the primary caregiver.
USA- In 2008, an estimated 140,00 married fathers worked as primary caregivers whilst their wives wen tot work to provide for the family.
Netherlands - Fathers only get 2 days of paternity leave due to the support women get. They can also take ‘papadag’ (daddy day a week)
Central Africa- The ‘Aka’ (a Pygmy tribe) have been called the worlds best fathers. Mothers and fathers roles are interchangeable, a father may slip into roles usually occupied by women such as breastfeeding withought a second thought or any loss of status. When reported on, some people were disgusted showing cultural differences.

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In 1930 Freud claimed ‘I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection’

He recognised the importance of a father in a boy’s life- Oedipus complex

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Believed that the mother held the greatest importance in the oral stage of psychosexual development as they depended on her to satisfy their needs.

Separation anxiety is caused when the infant realises that when the mother is not there, their needs will be unsatisfied.

The relationship between mother and child is a prototype for the infants future relationships of all forms.

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Social, ethical and economic implications

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Social, ethical and economic implications

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The economic costs of childcare are significant.

The UK government  allowed parents to claim tax relief on childcare costs to encourage them to go back to work. This came with great cost, however there may have been a greater cost to our economy if we didnt have an effective workforce because people couldn’t afford childcare.

Another form of support that is offered to parents is that they get time off work, typically offered to the women. However from April 2015, parents have been able to share the 52 week ‘parental leave’ as they wish.

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Harry Harlow (1959) - placed infant monkeys with 2 ‘wire’ mothers; one with a feeding bottle and one covered in soft cloth. Infants clung to the cloth covered mother which proves that food doesn’t create an emotional bond- contact and comfort does.

Schaffer and Emerson (1964) - primary attachments weren’t formed  withe the person who fed and spent more time with the infant. Instead, strongly attached infants had careers who responded quickly and sensitively to their signals.

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Feldman and colleagues studied 89 first time parents who were in one of 3 categories; heterosexual fathers in supporting role, heterosexual primary caregiving mothers and primary caregiving homosexual fathers.

Scanned their brains whilst watching videos of interactions with their children. This stimulated activity in an emotional network that is responsible for social bonding, ensuring vigilance and responding to distress, and gives chemical rewards when behaving in a way that maintains the child’s well-being. Also stimulated activity in network that is concerned with mental processing - it monitors the child’s likely state of mind, emotional condition and future needs thefore  allowing for planning. Fathers who were secondary to the mothers were thinkers and planners.  Men raising a child were found to have the same level of emotional response as a mother and the same thinking/planning response as the supporting father.

This proves that they are able to perform both roles.

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In Bowlby’s study he used the term ‘maternal’  in the ‘maternal deprivation hypothesis’ however he didnt exclusively mean the mother.

'Should experience a warm intimate and continuous relationship with his mother or permanent mother substitute’ (1953)

Bowlby et al (1956) - some children showed no effect from early separation

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Biological factor - The female hormone oestrogen understands behaviour which makes women better at forming emotional relationships.

Social Factor - There’s a gender stereotype that affects male behaviour- such as not doing certain things because they are considered to be ‘too feminine’

Heermann et al (1994) - men are less sensitive to infant cues

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Infants that spend at least one night away from their mothers had a more insecure attachment to them (43%) where as babies who had fewer overnight stays away from their mothers and only saw their fathers during the day (16%) had a more secure attachment.

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Many infants are breastfed for the first 6 months which means that the mother needs to be available to feed the child at regular intervals. Therefore it is both practical and essential that the mother is the primary care giver. Breastfeeding is very popular as it is reported that it gives the child a healthier start in life, protects them from various diseases/viruses and also helps to form a strong emotional bond between mother and child.

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Mothers should be the primary care giver - red
Another family member is capable of being the primary care giver - blue

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Should Mothers be the Primary Care Giver?

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Should Mothers be the Primary Care Giver?