Mothers are often seen as the primary caregivers for their babies, and a recent study from Aarhus University in Denmark has shed light on this phenomenon. The study found that mothers are three times more likely to wake up and tend to their babies than fathers. This raises the question: why is this the case?
To answer this question, researchers at Aarhus University conducted two separate studies. The first experiment involved 142 non-parents and tested for differences in men and women’s response to infant crying and alarms. The results showed that women were 14% more likely to wake up to whisper-level sounds, regardless of whether it was a baby crying or a regular alarm sound. However, when the volume increased, there was no significant difference between men and women.
Contrary to popular belief, the study also found that men did not sleep through their baby’s cries. Professor Christine Parsons, from the university’s Department of Clinical Medicine, stated, “We had a lot of variability in how people woke up to the sounds during the experiment, and a lot of overlap between our male and female participants.”
It’s worth noting that the study was not conducted on new parents, so factors such as sleep deprivation and hormonal changes could not be taken into account. In the second experiment, 117 first-time parents in Denmark documented their nighttime caregiving over a week. The results showed that mothers were three times more likely to handle nighttime infant care than fathers. In 23% of couples, there was some evidence of equal sharing.
However, the researchers noted that the difference in nighttime care cannot be explained by the minor differences observed in sound sensitivity between men and women. This finding is not new, as a survey from 2004 found that half of fathers hardly ever or never got up in the night to tend to their crying babies. The survey, conducted by Mother & Baby Magazine, also found that a quarter of dads only woke up when their baby cried, and a fifth only woke up once the mother was already awake.
So, what is behind this divide? The researchers suggest that social factors, rather than biological differences, may explain the disparity in overnight caregiving. Professor Parsons stated, “We think that there are several factors that explain our results, probably intertwined. First, mothers generally take maternity leave before fathers take paternity leave. This means that mothers gain more experience in soothing their baby early on than fathers.”
She added, “Second, when mothers are breastfeeding at night, it might make sense for fathers to sleep through.” Breastfeeding is a natural and essential part of a baby’s development, and it is understandable that mothers may take on the majority of nighttime care if they are the primary source of nourishment for their baby.
In response to the study, parents took to Reddit to share their experiences with nighttime care. It turns out that some fathers do sleep through their babies’ cries. One Reddit user, _zarkon_, shared, “One thing I found out with our boy is that I sleep deep early and my wife sleeps deep late. From 1 am to 3 am, I’ll sleep through most anything, but from 3 am to 6 am, I’ll wake at the drop of a hat. My wife is the exact opposite. I have no idea if it’s just us or common among gender lines.”
Another father stated, “This is anecdotal, but I would sleep through our newborn’s cries. We would take turns, but my wife had to wake me up to go get the baby when it was my turn, otherwise, I would sleep right through it.” Other fathers also shared that their partners would sleep through the baby crying, and they would be the ones to wake up and tend to their baby.
Some parents noted that when babies are breastfeeding, it may not make sense for fathers to get up unless their baby needs a nappy change. However, with formula-fed babies, it is easier to take turns. One parent shared, “I handled all the nighttime stuff as a mother for two reasons: 1) I didn’t have employment, the father did, and 2) I was the only one who possessed the necessary equipment to feed the baby, which is what it was crying for. I’m sure he could hear crying too, but there was a reason I was the one who woke up.”
The issue of fathers being forced to return to work days or weeks after a baby’s birth also seems to have a major impact on who
