<p>I’ve posted this research earlier on ‘SAT/ACT prep’ forum, but I thought its results could pique a curiosity of parents at large.</p>
<p>First, a disclaimer: I am a dad. I swear. Often.</p>
<p>Relative representation of moms and dads on selected forums.
I. ‘SAT/ACT prep’ forum.
Procedure.
Click on ‘Search’, then ‘Advanced Search’
type in ‘dad’ in ‘User Name’
uncheck ‘Exact name’ under ‘Search Options’
select ‘A Month Ago’ in ‘Find Posts from’
check ‘Posts’ in ‘Show Results as’
select ‘SAT and ACT Tests …’ in ‘Search in Forum(s)’
hit ‘Search Now’.
Results.
At the bottom of the screen: ‘Showing results 1 to 15 of 16’.</p>
<p>After clearing out dadwood (Skeet Daddy, nawlindad, NeedAdvice - not NeeDadVice, and shaqdaddy), we are left with 11 posts from 3 dads.</p>
<p>Now, same search again, but ‘mom’ in place of ‘dad’ in step 2.
‘Showing results 1 to 15 of 96’.
II. Same routine with 'A Week Ago' in step 4, and **'Parent Cafe'** in step 6.
141 dads' posts against 375 moms'.
III. ‘A Month Ago’, ‘Financial Aid & Scholarships’.
14 posts from dads to 325 posts from moms.
IV. 'Yesterday', 'Search **All Open Forums'**.
73 dads' to 84 moms'.
If you compare the lists of all the 'dad’s and all the 'mom’s ever registered (how long is inactive user kept in CC database?), there are about 1.7 screens full of dads versus 5.6 screens of moms.</p>
<p>Could it be non-dad screen names? (of course, there are non-mom screen names too). But maybe moms are more likely to embed our parental identity in the name (just a theory ).</p>
<p>I do love your name: “NoDadLeftBehind”! I don’t make too much of that data because the majority of parent posters on CC do not have “Mom” or “Dad” in their screennames, including myself (I’m a mom). Also, as JMMom wrote, maybe moms are more likely to embed “mom” into their chosen posting name than a dad might (not scientific but plausible). You’d have to screen all parent posters, not just the ones that have mom or dad in their names.</p>
<p>That said…I’ll speak from personal experience but have no idea if it is applicable to other families. My husband and I are both very intererested and involved in our kids’ lives. My husband has attended every single thing the kids are in (which is a lot), etc. However, when it comes to some of the hands on stuff that is time consuming, I was/am the one who has had more time to immerse myself in helping the kids as he works full time and I don’t. I have more time and flexibility. Therefore, I was the one who did the entire college process with our two kids, including the visits. He was aware of all that was going on, read the essays, talked about it, etc. but was not involved in the nitty gritty of it. He took care of financial aid forms. He certainly was very involved in moving them in and all that stuff. But as interested as he is in the kids (which is LOTS), he wasn’t involved in the research or all the details and wouldn’t have time to participate on this forum (but often asks me what’s new here or stuff like that). </p>
<p>My husband knows everything going on with the children. But who is the one taking extra time to look into this or that summer program or job or course options or stuff like that that I consult/advise the kids about? Me! It all gets shared with him but I do the leg work. </p>
<p>This may not be how it is in other families. Obviously, not for all. I have been impressed by the fathers I have met on CC who have done the ENTIRE college process with their children and where the mother was hardly involved (I know of several cases like that). Again, it is not like my husband is not interested. Hardly the case. He is very very into everything about the children but I am the one who takes care of a lot of the details and arrangements and so forth. Even when it came to all the DRIVING our kids required to their myriad of ECs, I was available to drive all afternoon and then he was a driver too (we both went in many directions) starting in the evenings shuttling them around the state. I simply put in more hours than he does with the hands on stuff, including college admissions help. The interest is equal but I am the one doing more of the “action” with the kids, due to time/roles. I gave up working full time so that I could be available to do all this stuff with the kids, including college advising with them. </p>
<p>I think there’s more “mom” names than “dad” names… although we could start a poll for gender, gender of children, and other miscellaneous items. Then, we can rank the parents; we can compare our ranking system to your ranking system. :)</p>
Quite opposite!
I am having an extremely busy time tight now, but when I encounter an interesting object/subject for analysys, I can’t help but start digging for roots.
True, but then how would you explain unproportionally high number of dads’ posts on Parent Cafe?
And unproportionally low number on ‘Financial Aid & Scholarships’?
Maybe dads are more up to shooting breeze than dealing with a serious staff, delegating it to their self-sacrifying wifes:
[quote]
we could start a poll for gender
[/quote]
Great idea!
I am starting two new threads - two separate sign-up sheets for dads and moms. Who knows, these lists might grow into stickies! :D
Or everybody will ignore them. :(
Let's try.
I'll put my name first on the dads' list.
Moms' list: I'll have a liberty of signing-up for citygirlsmom. She impresses me as the most prolific mom of them all on this forum.</p>
).</p>