Perceptions of parents as a function of their marital status and sex

Abstract

This study examines participants’ perceptions of four different male and female parent groups (married, divorced, step and never-married parents) and, as a comparison group, of men and women in general. Using an independent groups design, in which participants made estimations of the percentage of a single specified group possessing particular characteristics, it is found that perceptions of married parents tend to be more positive than perceptions of other groups. The never-married tend to be viewed least positively. Overall, perceptions of mothers are typically more favourable than those of fathers. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.