Reproducing gender in public places: Adults' attention to toddlers in three public locales

Adults of different sex interact differently with toddlers. In home and laboratory, fathers/adult males are the primary agents of sex typing and mothers/adult females are the primary caretakers, especially in the managerial aspects of child care. Little is known about the public display of childcare. Observations were made of 1588 adults (794 males and 794 females) and 1122 toddlers at: 1) a zoo, 2) an amusement park featuring rides, and 3) a theme park based on nursery rhymes. The subjects were family parties of one adult male, one adult female and one or more toddler(s). Adult males were more likely to carry toddlers and adult females were more likely to push empty strollers. Location differences were minor, as were differences in the way male and female adults interacted with toddlers of different sex. There was a toddler-of-like-sex preference in parent-toddler interaction.We wish to acknowledge the help of Michelle Dwyre, Leanne Dimungo, Tod Nirk, Bonnie Mackenzie, Sean Benedict, Keith Booth, and Lisa Dole in data collection. We are especially grateful to the staff of the Sacramento Zoo (Maria Baker, Director; Fred LaRue, former Curator of mammals; Cheryl Winn, former Education Curator and Laurie Neville and Leslie Field, Primate Department) for their encouragement. This research was supported in part by a University of California Faculty Research grant.