OUR POLL RESULTS

WE ASKED MEN AND WOMEN TO TELL US HOW THEY VIEW THE FATHER’S ROLE IN THEIR FAMILY. HERE ARE THE RESULTS:

■ When asked whether they felt their husbands and partners were good fathers, 100 percent of the women said yes. The women gave an average rating of how they saw their partner’s involvement with the child as 4.5 out of 5 and, interestingly enough, the men rated themselves lower than this. ❯❯ 100 percent of the fathers also felt they were good fathers.

WHEN ASKED HOW THEY FEEL THEIR PARTNERS HAVE CHANGED SINCE BECOMING FATHERS, THE WOMEN’S TOP 3 COMMENTS WERE:

■ He’s more serious

■ He’s more responsible

■ He’s more focused on, or worried about, the future.

❯❯ 54 percent of the dads agreed with these statements.

THE TOP 3 THINGS MEN THINK MAKE THEM GOOD FATHERS ARE:

■ Showing his child he/she is loved

■ Playing with his child

■ Setting a good example

THE TOP 3 THINGS WOMEN THINK MAKE THEIR PARTNERS A GOOD PARENT:

■ Dedication to the family and family time (spending time with the child in particular)

■ Teaching values and morals

■ Providing a stable home/providing for the family

Men said that although there isn’t much they could do as a father that the mother of their child couldn’t do, they believe that there are some physical activities they could do better. Most respondents said they could play rough games and one father said he could “roar like a lion”. Women feel that their partners are more adventurous and physical than they are, and the general feeling is that things like learning to swim, ride a bike and teaching ball games is the domain of the father.