Do men have maternal instincts?

Question

Seems the term can apply equally to men?

"According to Elyse Rubenstein, a Philadelphia psychiatrist who counsels new mothers, the term refers to "an inborn tendency to want to protect and nurture one's offspring." Almost all mothers (human and animal alike) eventually come to feel this way after they have a child."

Answer 1

I'd say some men have paternal feelings, like some women have maternal feelings. Whether these feelings are based on hormones, genetics, age, social training, societal expectations--I don't think we've studied paternal feelings hardly at all to know much about it. Based on the varying behavior of women towards their children, it looks quite obvious that we don't understand much about maternal feelings either, and we've been studying those a great deal longer. It looks like a complex mixture of training and the need for species survival, among many factors we probably aren't even aware of, that influence feelings towards infants, babies and children.

Answer 2

The more time a guy spends around his pregnant wife or infant, the lower his testosterone levels go. This is great news for the wife and baby, however - this leads to more nurturing feelings in the men. So you might say that men are designed to be great fathers, although distance sometimes makes what's natural a bit less likely.

To call the male and female instincts "the same", as other answers have done, shows a lack of understanding of human nature. Some human "tribes" are marked by infanticide by invading males. Women, OTOH, almost always will protect a stranger's infant from harm. Men will defend their own child to the death - but they are not flooded with hormones at the sound of their own infant's cries, and show little interest in the offspring of other men. The paternal instinct needs to be explored more. IMO, it is a powerful force! And yes, any normal human instinctually cares for his child, except for unusual circumstances.

I also take exception to the idea that I was not born to want to mother. It has always been my primary career goal to have a child. My parents are VERY non-traditional, and they didn't push me into it. It's just my personality.

Answer 3

Paternal
men are Pa's not Ma's
some do some dont
women are like that too
some do some dont

even cats are like that
I lived near a cat that always had her kittens off the corner of her owner's porch
she just dropped them over the edge then strolled away and cleaned herself
no maternal instincts there huh?
of course some might see fit to call that sorta like "paternal" instincts but I would object to that cause I had a father that bled if one of his children just got a scratch

If I could, I would tell Elyse Rubenstein to cease making generalities and to rephrase into more accurate language

Answer 4

Yes....men can be very protective and nurturing. To call this "maternal" is misleading. It is also misleading to really call it an instinct. It's more like a loving, emotional bond or connection, that inspires one to care for, care about, and protect those whom they love. It is just as strong in men as it is in women, the expression of it may be somewhat different (though not always)...and the expression of it may be influenced by socio-cultural factors, but the underlying thing is it's attachment and love, and these things develop with time spent with the baby/child...it's not something that's automatically "there", it is something that is and can be developed. And it doesn't have to be present immediately after birth: it takes time to develop an attachment. Both genders are capable of this.

Answer 5

There is a huge body of evidence suggesting that mothering skills are to a great extent learned behaviors. I remain unconvinced that 'maternal instincts' are what they are cracked up to be. Also, we are constantly blasted with societal messages (especially in the mass media - advertising) telling us we should make babies. The more babies around, the more cradle-to-the-grave customers Coca-Cola and McDonald's has. Check out the homepages of fertility clinics: talk about the 'warm fuzzies', yetch! They just want your $$$$$. Some women are driven to distraction when they can't conceive. They sometimes suffer from major depression; many become physically ill too. They need medical treatments - to deal with the adverse affects of the medical treatments! The fertility clinics just keep giving them false hope, and the cycle of $$$$$ continues. It's really nasty stuff, and expoits these (vulnerable) women.

Answer 6

I don't think any of it is instictual. When I had a baby, I loved him so much right away but I was terrified about everything I did with him. I was convinced that I was going to drop him/hurt him/etc. etc. (Of course, I didn't do any of those things.) I had never really been around babies before and it was all completely new to me. My partner on the other hand has been around a lot more babies and he knew just what to do. It's all very learned. Taking care of, protecting, and nurturing are things you figure out.

Answer 7

neither men or women have "maternal" instincts. a woman is not born with the intense desire to mother a child. once we have our children most PARENTS love their children and learn to care for/protect them.

men do care for their children. my baby's father is very hands-on; we share the parenting responsibilities and as a result, our son is very attached to both of us.

Answer 8

Of course they have child care instincts. We are the primate that has the highest male investment in child rearing. I would not quire rate it as " maternal ", though.

Answer 9

I suppose they have to if they have any hope of caring for a child. Lord, though, I hope I don't. Even the idea of having children scares me.

Answer 10

Well, men can't have "maternal" instincts because they are not mothers, obviously. And in nature the mother takes care of the young and the father doesn't, so I say no, they can't