Hong Kong fathers should play greater role in parenting, says Project PATH research

Fathers play a less active role in parenting and have a more distant relationship with their children, according to a new study that has prompted a call for them to become more involved in their children's development.

Project PATHS, a research programme funded by the Jockey Club Charities Trust, conducted the city's first study to examine local secondary school pupils' impressions of their parents. A total of 3,300 pupils from 28 schools took part in the six-year study, which started in 2009. The pupils were asked to answer questionnaires once a year.

It found children from Form One to Form Six gave lower scores to their fathers in the three main categories - behavioural control, psychological control and parent-child relations.

"Fathers usually have three 'lows'. They are involved less in teaching their children, appear to be nicer and are more distant from their children," said Professor Daniel Shek Tan-lei, who led the research.

In the data collected from Form One pupils, 52.9 per cent said that their fathers would not approach them to find out about their friends, compared with 26.5 per cent for mothers.

While up to 65.3 per cent of pupils would share their feelings with their mothers, only 48.5 per cent would do the same with their fathers.

"Fathers are relatively busier at work, and therefore the greater parenting role would go to mothers," Shek said.