Fathers' Involvement and School-Aged Children's Sociability: A Comparison between Japan and the United States

Numerous studies on child development in Japan focus on how mothers influence emotional, cognitive and social development of their preschool children. In contrast, we know relatively little about how paternal involvement influences social development of not only preschool but also school-aged children. Similarly, although many U.S. researchers examined the determinants of paternal involvement, its consequences on sociability of their school-aged children have not been extensively studied. Using questionnaire and interview data collected in Japan and the United States, this study examines the effect of paternal involvement on sociability among their school-aged children. A theoretical model incorporating parental involvement, parental age and education, number of siblings, and other demographic variables was analyzed. In both countries, children whose fathers are actively involved in their lives reported higher scores of sociability than children with uninvolved fathers. Additionally, maternal involvement and the number of siblings are positively associated with children's sociability in both countries. The implications of my findings and the direction of future research are further discussed.