Complexity of Father Involvement in Low-Income Mexican American Families.

We identify multiple predictors of five types of father involvement in 167 low- to moderate-income two-parent Mexican American families with fifth-grade children. Analyses show that fathers' egalitarian gender attitudes and mothers' education are associated with higher levels of father involvement. Fathers are more involved in monitoring and interacting with children when families place more emphasis on family rituals, they are more involved in supervising children when mothers are employed more hours, and they perform more housework when mothers earn more and the family is under economic stress. Counter to "macho" stereotypes, Mexican-identified men are more likely than more acculturated men to supervise children and engage them in conventionally feminine activities. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. (Author abstract)