Research from Aarhus University shows that fathers are just as likely as mothers to wake up to the sound of a crying baby. While women are slightly more responsive to quieter sounds, this does not account for the unequal division of nighttime childcare responsibilities. Further studies indicate that women report more disturbed sleep and might be more sensitive to high-pitched sounds, but these factors do not fully explain the large discrepancies in care responsibilities between genders. The study's findings reveal that men do not sleep through their baby’s crying, countering traditional beliefs.
The researchers monitored 142 non-parents while they slept and recorded how often they woke up in response to the sound of a baby crying.
Women were, on average, about 14 per cent more likely to wake up to sounds between 33 and 44 decibels - about as loud as birdsong or a library.
Although the idea that men can sleep through their baby's crying is a myth, there are real reasons to think that women might wake up more frequently in the night.
Professor Parsons' research shows that any differences only translate into small changes in waking patterns when the sounds are very quiet.
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