Authors

• Seppälä, Nina (Finnish Family Federation. Population Research Institute)

Keywords

child care, child day care, parent participation, parental role, pre-primary education, pre-primary school teachers

Abstract

The survey studied the views of parents, pre-primary school teachers, kindergarten teachers, and day-care centre staff on child-rearing, and especially the sharing of child-rearing responsibility within the family, between spouses, parents, and professional educators. The division of responsibility within the family was studied by asking the parents' opinions on to whom certain daily educative functions belonged in their family. The child-rearing responsibilities of parents and professional educators was studied by asking opinions on to whom certain more general child-rearing responsibilities belonged. Furthermore, there were questions about conflicts, co-operation, and support in child-rearing between parents, and between parents and education professionals. There were questions on pre-school education, on the importance of its goal, and on the relationship between pre-school education and child-rearing responsibility. The parents were also asked about problems in balancing work and family life, and suggestions for improvements.

Background variables were the respondent's sex, age, marital status, education, type of municipality of residence, social group, employment, satisfaction with present job, and number and age of children.