A
recent survey carried out by the Four Corners Group, a well known business
solutions agency, revealed the changing dynamics of the father-child
relationship and how it is being viewed by Pakistani mothers. The first of its
kind survey, titled ‘Kitna Love Index’ was conducted in 2 key metros of Pakistan
namely Karachi, and Lahore where mothers
from the age bracket of 25 – 40 years belonging to upper SECs were surveyed*. Four Corners Group
specializes in providing complete business solutions based around Consulting,
Research and Training, and has done key qualitative and quantitative research
for clients from all the major industries in Pakistan. This research was
conducted to understand the shift in family dynamics, its impact on the mothers
of today and the importance of the father in a child’s life.
The Kitna
Love Index’s main finding shows a staggering 97% of the surveyed mothers who are
happy with the overall time they, as parents, spend with the children. But 33%
of the surveyed mothers feel that their husbands do not spend as much time with
the children compared to the amount of time their own fathers spent with them
in the past. Some mothers feel that the father- child relation today is
different as compared to the previous generation and believe that their
husbands need to have a better work life balance as it affects their relation
with their children. 85% respondents also stated that the father is an ideal of
their children and they take the relationship with them to be of trust, respect
and love. These findings emphasize a
shift in the family structure and dynamics over the past couple of decades brought
on by the changing economy. The Kitna
Love Index highlights how compared to the previous generation, today’s fathers
are now managing multi-faceted roles where they are friends, confidant,
guidance providers and mentors in a child’s life compared to before where the father was more of a
strict and authoritative guardian of the
family. This change in the nature of the father-child relation is
because of better education and fathers’ awareness about their role in child
upbringing. Fathers today try to keep a check on the values and principles that
they want their children to adopt through various bonding activities, according
to the respondents, but they cannot manage to give the same amount of time to
the relation as compared to the fathers of yester years.
Commenting
on the evolving family dynamics and the Kinta Love Index, Rifat Sabzwari, CEO, Four Corners
Group said, “With changing societal
norms, the way urban Pakistani families interact with each other is also
changing. Joint families are now moving towards nuclear ones in cities. People
usually have a hectic schedule, and fathers juggle time during weekdays as they
try to meet pressures of daily routine lives. The Kitna Love Index is our
effort at understanding the concerns of the women of the household and bringing
to the foray the importance of the amount of valuable time that today’s father should
give to the children. Most women now understand that their husbands need to
dedicate more time from their busy lives to help with the personality
development of their children, and push for a more balanced work life so that
more quality time can be spent with the kids.”
The
Kitna Love Index attempts to
quantify the amount of quality time that families spent together celebrating
the childhood of their kids. It also reflects upon a growing amount of
mothers who realize the importance of the special bond between father and
children. In another finding of the survey, 97% of the respondents agreed to
the fact that a father plays an important role in the child’s upbringing. It shows that urban Pakistani mothers are
increasingly aware of the critical role that father’s presence plays in
building a child’s personality especially to deal with people with confidence. International
research shows children who spend a lot of time with their father are better
learners and have higher self-esteem than others. Experts make it clear that
youngsters with a supportive father have a greater sense of social acceptance. They
learn to be more physically active and have better social awareness as the father’s
child-rearing methods complement the mother’s. In Pakistan, helping children
with their studies, watching TV together, playing video games and sports, and
snacking together are the four most common father-child past times which
compliment the activities between children and their mothers.
For
parents it can be difficult to find the right balance between family, work, and
leisure time, but regardless, they try finding plenty of opportunities to
connect with their children on a daily basis. These connections happen at
mealtimes, during commutes, and by engaging in leisure activities as a family. The Kitna Love Index reaffirms that today’s
Pakistani mothers are now more aware and conscious of the father’s responsibility
towards the child’s emotional development and believe the fathers of this generation need
to be more aware and appreciative of
whatever opportunities they get to celebrate the child’s special moments.
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