More than 50 percent of male parents believe they are judged harshly as parents, reveals a study published by the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. The study which surveyed 713 male parents of children aged 0-13 years, asking them to answer questions about how criticism impacts their parenting choices, found that 52 percent of male parents reported receiving “negative feedback about their parenting style,” while 90 percent believed that they were doing a good job. Over 40 percent of the criticism was received from a co-parent and 25 percent from a grandparent.

Lead researcher Sarah Clark, a health and behaviour specialist and faculty at the University of Michigan’s School of Medicine, says that the “dad-shaming” survey highlights that 67 percent of male parents received criticism about discipline, 43 percent about diet and nutrition, 32 percent about paying too little attention to their children and 32 percent for being too rough.

“Different parenting styles can be a strength that fathers bring to parenting. A father’s parenting style can be enriching for children — help kids to behave positively and broaden their perspective of the world,” says Clark.