Maternal Perceptions of Paternal Coparenting in Chinese Migrant-Child Families: A Qualitative Study

Despite the well-established significance of positive paternal involvement in coparenting for the well-being of children and mothers, father involvement in coparenting tends to be significantly lower than that of the mothers. Additionally, there is a lack of empirical studies on Chinese migrant fathers and their participation in coparenting, and the specific manifestations and underlying causes of reported lower parental coparenting by mothers remain unclear. Given the importance of parental coparenting, this qualitative study aimed to investigate maternal perceptions regarding paternal involvement in coparenting, and examine specific parental practices related to coparenting in daily life within migrant families in a natural and dynamic context. Informed by thematic analysis, semi-structured, one-on-one interviews were held with 16 migrant mothers in China. Two major themes were identified: (1) the meaning of paternal coparenting (e.g., meaning for mothers and meaning for children), and (2) the practice of paternal coparenting (e.g., labour division, cooperation, conflict). The variation in coparenting behaviors exhibited by fathers can be attributed to the alignment of their parenting concepts with those of mothers, as well as the effectiveness of negotiation between them. The findings highlight the importance of considering parental involvement and collaboration with mothers when studying coparenting dynamics in migrant families. These insights can serve as a valuable reference for service providers and policymakers involved in supporting parents of migrant children to enhance their collaborative coparenting.