The article “Gender roles and infant/toddler care: Male and female professors on the tenure track” by Steven Rhoads and Christine Rhoads relates important information with regards to the differences in child care strategies between male and female professors during their post-birth parental leave. Generally, the article argues that females are more aware of the importance of staying a long time on leave to care for their newborn babies than males.
First of all, speaking about the article under consideration in the following paper, it should be stated that its main idea is in the differences of approaches of male and female workers of the academic sphere to child care and the post-birth parental leave. The article explains the findings of numerous researches proving that female professors are more aware of the importance of caring for their newborn children during the first years of their life. With regards to the type of this article, it should be said that it appears as reporting on a scientific study that was done by scientists with particular elements of reporting on a policy decision as it both has a variety of data on researches’ findings and the policy-related matters which are connected to these findings.
Reflecting on the findings of the article under consideration, it should be said that there can hardly be found a person to reject the statements made in the article. Men are known for their tendency to be preoccupied with their work more than with any of their concerns, and this tendency is explored in any existing working area. On the contrary, women, in general, are more responsible for their offspring, and tend to sacrifice their career interests and other related interests. The article explains one more important peculiarity of women’s way of thinking – women simply like the task to take care of their children more than men. According to the article, “the reason female professors do more infant care may boil down to the fact that they enjoy it more than men do – and that reason may be rooted in evolutionary differences between the sexes” (Rhoads, & Rhoads, p. 13). In addition, the other important finding of the article is in the following, “if men should begin to take leave in much larger numbers, far from leveling the playing field, gender-neutral, post-birth leaves are likely to tilt the field further in favor of men” (Rhoads, & Rhoads, p. 14).
Speaking about the connection of the article to the current course of our studies, it should be stated that it is rather evident. Gender and sex matters and differences which are the main subject for our studying course are addressed in this article in the most direct way. The findings of the article support the information related in class concerning the tendencies in gender behaviour related by now. No contradictions can be found, and the information, in general, can be evaluated as a thorough piece on gender differences and the other related psychological peculiarities.
Concluding on all the information related above, it should be stated that the article discussed in the paper argues that females are more aware of their duty to bring up a deserving member of society and realize the importance of staying a long time on leave to care for their newborn babies than males. Females are also more willing to sacrifice their carrier interests as they see their role in educating their offspring as a primary one.
Works Cited
Rhoads, Steven, & Christine Rhoads. “Gender roles and infant/toddler care: Male and female professors on the tenure track”. Journal of Social, Evolutionary, and Cultural Psychology, 2012; 6(1), 13-31