Do Men Not Hear Crying Babies?

"Men are slightly less likely than women to awaken to quiet crying sounds but are just as likely as women to awaken to louder crying sounds. The researchers found a very slight difference at the lowest decibel level (33 to 44 decibels-which is a little bit louder than a whisper), with women being 14 percent more likely than men to awaken to both crying sounds and alarms at this level."

"Mothers wake up with infants about three times more than fathers. This study found that mothers woke up more frequently than fathers in most families. Only about 23 percent of families reported that mothers and fathers woke up an equal number of times at night. Only 1 percent of families reported that the father woke up more often than the mother. This finding backs up previous research, which consistently finds that women wake up with infants more often than men."

Men are slightly less likely than women to awaken to quiet crying sounds but are equally likely to awaken to louder infant cries. A small difference appears at very low sound levels (33 to 44 decibels), with women about 14 percent more likely to awaken to quiet cries or alarms. At higher decibel levels typical of a crying infant nearby or on a monitor, waking rates are similar for men and women. Mothers wake up with infants roughly three times more often than fathers; about 23 percent of families report equal waking, and about 1 percent report fathers waking more. Greater paternal nighttime caregiving may benefit the whole family.

Read at Psychology Today