Abstract
The purpose of this research is to examine the impact of father's involvement in childcare and mother's childcare anxiety on measures of sociability of 3 year-olds. A path model was used to examine the relationships between these variables. Due to the changes related to Japanese men's attitudes toward work and their increased time spent with families, data were collected in both 1992-1993 (Cohort 1) and 1997-1998 (Cohort 2). The data showed paternal involvement to be a significant factor affecting sociability of among 3 year-olds, for both cohorts. This suggests the direct influence of men's participation in childcare for children's social development. Furthermore, a frequent conversation between husbands and wives was found to be a significant indirect factor affecting children's sociability.
