From BZ/dpa
Keeping check-ups in mind, making appointments, taking the child to the doctor’s office: in most families, it’s the mothers who do that. Why not the fathers?
Arranging and attending doctor’s appointments for the child – in the family, these tasks are usually the responsibility of the mother. That shows a recent YouGov poll.
The opinions of fathers and mothers differ: 84 percent of the mothers surveyed stated that they mainly take care of their children’s doctor’s appointments. 10 percent see this task equally for themselves and their partner.
About one in four (26 percent) of the fathers surveyed stated that they mainly take care of doctor appointments. 20 percent of fathers see this task equally in themselves and their partner.
The Fathers’ Reasons
But what are the reasons given by the fathers who attend the child’s doctor’s appointments less than the mothers?
45 percent of these fathers indicate that they take on other tasks, for example accompanying the child to sports or other leisure activities.
43 percent said they didn’t have enough time outside of work. And 20 percent consider themselves not so good at health management and find: “Other people are better suited”. 16 percent think they know too little about children’s health.
A total of 1032 mothers and fathers were questioned. The survey was carried out on behalf of the company Doctolib and is intended to be representative of families with children under the age of 18 in Germany.