The idea that a good father is one that is a provider and must, therefore, work is an idea that is still very much alive today. Despite social changes, the man is often not considered the principal parent responsible for the care of the home or family. Even today, the mother is the social embodiment of, and is perceived by individuals as, the main parent . Despite reports that fathers, in certain particular situations, are slightly more active than their partners, the mother is still regarded as the principal and responsible parent, while the father's role is denigrated to that of an aid. Even if fathers are not inclined to act as the principal parent, this does not mean that they do not lend a helping hand.
Fathers tend to wait to be asked to do something by their partner before they engage in any help.
It is in this sense that they are considered empathetic to their partner's demands. Often men can get by with merely symbolic participation, if it is mixed with empathy for the complaints of their partners. Men appear to be satisfied with this situation. In the past, the norm of reciprocity governed exchanges at the heart of the family, between the spouses. Tallies of respective deposits are made on a short-term basis.