Are women really better caretakers than men?

Gender-based stereotypes created by society have persisted through many generations as well as the through modern world. Many generations have been influenced by these social expectations of what is "proper" for men and women. One common stereotype that has been brought up and overused through many decades is the stereotype that women are specifically suited to caregiving and are naturally more nurturing than men.

First, to debunk this stereotype it is important to look into the root cause of where this stereotype started. The perception of women being more nurturing can be traced back to traditional gender roles in the older generations and centuries. Women were left to take care of the children while the men went and fought in the war. Men at the time were made out to be the providers for the family and the women were at home running the house and caring for the children. As the world modernized these gender roles became normal thus perpetuating the belief that women inherently had nurturing qualities. 

In our evolved world it is not that women are more nurturing than men, it is that children are raised with the qualities that women have to be more nurturing and kind while men should be strong and tough. Men are just as capable of caring for children but are not as inclined to due to what society tells them they should be. This is the main problem that has arisen from these traditional gender roles that are constantly controlling people's lives. 

According to the National Fatherhood Initiative, "Dads spend an average of 8 hours per week and moms spend an average of 14 hours per week on childcare" The reason for this is not that a mom is better at taking care of her kids but rather that the father is not as pressurized to take care of kids due to his societal expectations. Many people use the term "babysitting" when a father is taking care of the kids while when a mom is taking of her kids, she is doing her job as a mother. Another example of this is when men come home from their full-time jobs they are allowed to rest and watch some TV and this is seen as normal but when a woman gets home from her full-time job she is seen as lazy if she takes a break instead of making dinner for the family and caring for the kids. Double standards like these are what create the perception that women have more caregiving qualities than men but in reality, society has just created a world where it is normalized for a mother to mainly care for her children.  Both parents are equally important and are perfectly fit to care for their children.

To be free of this stereotype we have to break free of traditional gender roles and treat both parents equally in their domestic duties and their lives.