The Roles and Contributions of Fathers in Families with School-Age Children in Hong Kong

The present chapter examines fatherhood in contemporary Chinese families in Hong Kong by comparing fathers and mothers with regard to parenting style dimensions and parenting behaviors. It also investigates the influence of demographic factors on father attributes and analyses father’s unique contribution to school-related child outcomes. The sample comprised 461 child–mother–father triads in Hong Kong, with the children studying at Primary Level 3 to 5 at the time of the study. Results of this study show that the roles of Hong Kong fathers in child-rearing were peripheral when compared to that of the mothers: fathers were less nurturant, less involved in child’s education, and less efficacious in promoting child’s schoolwork. Analyses in this study indicate that education attainment was the dominant demographic factor that affects fathers’ behaviors. Finally, results show that fathers made unique contribution to child’s school-related performance in the areas of academic performance, efficacy for self-regulated learning and self-esteem. On the whole, this study shows that the roles of Chinese fathers in Hong Kong follow the traditional cultural patterns to a certain extent while it also provides strong support to the importance of fathers in enhancing children’s school-related performance. Implications on parent education and family policies are discussed.