• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
• /
• v.18 no.5
• /
• pp.33-55
• /
• 2022

Objective: The aims of this study is to investigate the internal and external environment surrounding fathers and to promote play-participation with children and father-Infants Intimacy by identifying the influence of a father's belief concerning gender-equal parental role and the mother's roles as a gatekeeper. Methods: The participants of this study were 291 fathers who had infants ranging from 1-36 months of age and were living in Seoul and South Chungcheong Province. The data were collected through the questionnaires and analyzed using the SPSS 24.0. Results: The main results are as follows. First, gender roles, livelihood keeper-father beliefs, importance of father rearing, and the mother's role as a doorkeeper affect the father's participation in play. This differs according to the characteristics of each type of play. Second, it was found that the father's gender roles and the mother's role as a doorkeeper had a significant effect on the intimacy between the father and the infant. Conclusion/Implications: The results of this study revealed that fathers' belief in gender-equal parenting and mothers' encouragement through opening the door as gatekeepers affect the formation of intimacy between fathers and their children in infancy, and are factors that influence play participation.