IELTS Writing Task 2/ Essay Topics with sample answer.

IELTS Essay # 25 - Fatherhood ought to be emphasized as much as motherhood

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IELTS Writing Task 2/ IELTS Essay:

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Present a written argument or case to an educated reader with no specialist knowledge of the following topic:

Fatherhood ought to be emphasized as much as motherhood. The idea that women are solely responsible for deciding whether or not to have babies leads on to the idea that they are also responsible for bringing the children up.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your answer with examples and relevant evidence.

You should write at least 250 words.


Model Answer 1: (Disagreement)
We live in a modern era where equality is being promoted everywhere including in workplaces, society and even families. This is why child-rearing should be a responsibility that is shared by both parents.

To begin with, traditional roles of males and females are changing, and in some cases, have gone completely reversed. This is why the predefined responsibilities of mothers and fathers are a thing of the past. Traditionally, a mother takes charge of everyday activities of bringing up children, whereas a father is responsible for providing the basics for the children as well as the family. With a shifting trend when engineering universities have more female graduates and males have paternal leaves, this is no longer applicable. Rather a father should share those daily activities, spend as much time as possible with the family, play with the children, read to them, take them out or even clean their diapers, whereas capable females should share the financial responsibilities. 

Moreover, a child needs both parents' care, love and attention to properly grow up. Research proves that attention from both parents often instils better qualities and emotional balance in them than in children who grow up without the attention of both. The concept of "fatherhood" is not easy to achieve especially in countries where economic and employment situations are stressful. However, a little effort from both parents can ensure a shared responsibility and better family bonds in which children get the proper care. 

In conclusion, parents in modern times should be ready to share their responsibilities for the greater benefit of the child and their family. This is why fatherhood should be as much important as motherhood.
 

Model Answer 2: (Disagreement)
For nine to ten months, a woman endures the drastic physiological and emotional changes that pregnancy brings about. Because of this, a woman has the greatest right to decide on whether she will have a child or not. An ideology exists that because women take full responsibility for decisions about childbearing, she also is responsible for rearing the child. I believe that this idea is absolutely faulty.

Firstly, decisions on childbearing may be greatly affected by the woman's choice. However, other factors are also considered such as a couple's financial ability to support a child's growth. Aside from that, parenthood is a shared responsibility. A father's role is not limited to sperm donation but also includes changing diapers in the middle of the night. Also, a father should always be involved in child rearing because there are activities that are best suited to be done by a father figure, such as bringing the child to a sports event. Consequently, a child who rarely sees one's father creates a negative perception of him and may possibly create a stronger relationship with the mother alone.

In addition, women are different in the modern era. More women are breaking the traditional view that they are confined to the four wall of the home as a housewife. Therefore, there should be a joint agreement between both parents to divide the tasks. To cite an example, a mother would send the child to school while a father will be in charge of picking up the child after class.

In conclusion, I firmly believe that it is time to abolish the idea of putting the entire child rearing work on women. The idea of shared parenthood must be implemented to keep up with the change in family dynamics that occurred over the years.

[Word Count =298 |  Written by - Denise Tubat ]

  (Neutral Notion)
I believe that child-rearing should be the responsibility of both parents and that, whilst the roles within that partnership may be different, they are nevertheless equal in importance. In some societies, it has been made easier over the years for single parents to raise children on their own. However, this does not mean that the traditional family, with both parents providing emotional support and role-models for their children, is not the most satisfactory way of bringing up children.

Of crucial importance, in my opinion, is how we define 'responsible for bringing the children up'. At its simplest, it could mean giving the financial support necessary to provide a home, food and clothes and making sure the child is safe and receives an adequate education. This would be the basic definition.

There is, however, another possible way of defining that part of the quotation. That would say it is not just a father's responsibility to provide the basics for his children, while his wife involves herself in the everyday activity of bringing them up. Rather, he should share those daily duties, spend as much time as his job allows with his children, play with them, read to them, help directly with their education, participate very fully in their lives and encourage them to share his.

It is this second, fuller, concept of 'fatherhood' that I am in favour of, although I also realise how difficult it is to achieve sometimes. The economic and employment situation in many countries means that jobs are getting more, not less, stressful, requiring long hours and perhaps long journeys to work as well. Therefore it may remain for many a desirable ideal rather than an achievable reality.

 

Sample Answer 4:
Traditionally, gender role issue has always discriminated women and it is considered a woman to be responsible for the upbringing of children. Nowadays, these traditions are changing gradually. It is agreed that both parents should share these responsibilities and at the same time should support each other. This can be proved by looking at how fathers who spend the whole day with their children can be a good motivator for them and mothers are becoming the bread-earners for the family. Also, it is agreed that fathers motivate their children more than mothers do. For example, males are more interested towards sports activities.

Firstly, some people argue that mother should take care of the Family, especially the kids; however these thoughts have changed over the time and nowadays fathers have started sharing parental and domestic responsibilities. So, by taking their children to sports events such as football matches, swimming, etc. will develop an interest for sports in them. This shows that fathers can motivate a child to become a sports person.

Secondly, the tradition of women is to stay at home and bringing up children have changed and women have started taking work from all fields, along with this they also take care of their children. For instance, it has been seen that many working women take maternity leave during and after their pregnancy period and continue to work after these leaves. Some women prefer to do work from home if provided by their employer. In some cases, women may have better career prospects than their husbands. So, the father had to take paternity leave and become a househusband, which is becoming more common nowadays. Thus, it is clear from the above discussion women can be a bread-earning person for a family.

Following this look at how both parents share responsibility for caring their children. Thus, it has been proven that fathers are equally responsible for the upbringing of their children.

(Total words: 317 | Written by Zuber Mansuri)
 

Essay Topic:
"Fatherhood ought to be emphasised as much as motherhood. The idea that women are solely responsible for deciding whether or not to have babies leads on to the idea that they are also responsible for bringing the children up."

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Sample Answer 5:
In the past, it was a common custom that the one who was responsible for the upbringing of children - was the mother only; the fathers' responsibility was to earn the livings and provide a good life. However, a change in the belief took place in the previous few years; nowadays, some people claim that fatherhood should be emphasised much more. Although some people see that fathers must contribute in the bringing up of children and it's not only mother's responsibility, other people still see that it's only mother's responsibility.

"Of course me and my husband, George!" said Miss Karmen when she was asked who was in charge of bringing up her child, she added, "Oh, I really cannot do this alone; my child needs both of us". If a child interacts and plays with his mother only, that will lead to improper dealing with other people including his dad. The fact that father for money and mother for upbringing is absolutely outdated.
 
A kid needs both the father and mother's care but father would be mostly busy at works so ultimately the mother would have to spend more time with the kind. But the father should spend as much time as possible with his kids after getting back from the work.

Actually, some people still adhere to their point of view regardless the prior information claiming that parents must contribute, yet in their way; each one is responsible for only one thing. We have an example, Robert Frans, a teacher in a high school in Australia; he said: "Why I have to tire myself more, it's my wife's own business". For me I actually think that fatherhood ought to be emphasised, but not as much as motherhood. I think mothers' share in upbringing should be more than that of fathers.

(Total words: 304 | Written by Abdullah Hassan)

Sample Answer 6:
In today's society, both parents play's an equal role in the family life to bring up the children. It is important to share their responsibilities equally to make their child as a good citizen of tomorrow. Hence, I strongly agree with the statement that looking after the children is the shared responsibility of the partners.

Firstly, in this advanced world, women are also educated as men are and in some cases, women are rather more talented than the men. It paves the way for them to work as well and be the breadwinners of the family. Moreover, nowadays, because of the high living expense and also in order to meet the basic needs of the children such as food, clothes, housing, adequate education and so in, it became mandatory for both members of the family to work.

Secondly, it is essential for a child to experience love and care from both father and mother to attain a good character. The idea is that the father needs to find leisure time to spend with the child and make him/her energetic by teaching outside sports instead of computer games. Likewise, the mother needs to take care of the behaviour and should teach good morals of life. As a result, the child will become healthy physically and emotionally.

On the other hand, there are many children in this world living with a single parent. Although they seem to be happier in front of the society, there would be something they lack in their personal life. If they were given an opportunity to share their feelings, definitely they will point out the values of family relationships. For instance, they must be sure that they would have done better in their life if they were brought up in a loving family with both mother and father.

To conclude, there is a saying that "Parents are the best role models for their children". Therefore, it is worth sharing their responsibilities among them to provide brighter future for their children.

(Total words: 333 | Written by John Antony)

 

  (Neutral Notion)
Essay Topic: Fatherhood ought to be emphasized as much as motherhood. The idea that women are solely responsible for deciding whether or not to have babies leads on to the idea that they are also responsible for bringing the children up.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the statement?

Sample Answer:
In modern societies, women have actively entered into the labour market and in many sectors, their number have even exceeded the number of men employees. Due to this fact, the roles of the two genders as parents have been modified and quite often is raised the issue whether both parents should be equally responsible for bringing up their children.

According to the family role model over the past years, women were assigned to all duties concerning the upbringing of the children, whereas men’s responsibility was to earn money and to provide the family with a good environment. This model of a family was functional from the primitive times until recently, for as long life wasn’t so complicated and so demanding as nowadays. This trend, however, has changed to a great extent in many parts of the world. With today’s social and economic development, the disparity between men and women has flattened out. In most families, both men and women have to work in order to keep good financial conditions into their family. But how should be made the decision of having babies and how should the raise of children be shared between parents in these cases ?

Parents have equal responsibility. The decision of having children should be made by both parents jointly and subsequently they should take part in the upbringing of their children evenly, as well. Raising children together is good for the child’s psychology and a prerequisite for the evolution of a child to an adult with integrated personality. Children who feel the absence of a parent are affected in a negative way. Although nowadays many single parents are raising their children successfully, it is important for children to have the best of both worlds.

The bottom line is that it takes two people to produce a baby and two people to raise a child in a balanced environment. I believe parents must both be attentive to a child’s life. Nature makes it possible for only a woman to bear a child but the task of upbringing should rest on both parents.

(Approximately 340 words | Written by Sofia)
 

Essay Topic:  Present a written argument or case to an educated reader with no specialist knowledge of the following topic:

Fatherhood ought to be emphasized as much as motherhood. The idea that women are solely responsible for deciding whether or not to have babies leads on to the idea that they are also responsible for bringing the children up.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the statement?

You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your answer with examples and relevant evidence.

Model Answer 8:
Traditionally women take the responsibility of nurturing and upbringing children in a family and that can be connected with many factors such as rules and stereotypes in our society. In recent days, fathers have been participating in children’s life more actively and I completely agree that fatherhood should be highly accentuated because this approach promotes all-round development of a child's overall growth.

First of all, fathers and mothers involve different streaks in their babies based on their characteristics. By playing with a mother, a child can become polite, sentimental, but by taking part in games and outdoor activities with a father, helps to develop the intellect, motor skills. Primarily this is connected with the type of activity because men prefer to build or design some objects, play to board games and woman like teaching a child to talk about feelings and build a relationship with other people.

Moreover, having contact with a man in a family will contribute to a positive attitude to gender development. A boy tries to replicate behaviours of his father and a girl makes attempt to be such as her mother. A good relationship with the head of the family can develop masculinity in a boy and femininity in a girl. As a result in adult life, these young women and men will able to build a positive relationship with future spouses.

Finally, people, who had a family with both parents where a father had played a significant role in children’s life, have succeeded in their career. This statement was confirmed by American scientists who have asked many people about their childhood, then they inferred that young people from a full family graduated a university frequenter than people without a father in their life.

Consequently, fatherhood can develop many positive streaks in modern children and we will not refuse from this opportunity following ancient stereotypes and choosing only motherhood such as the correct model of upbringing. Though mothers in many cases decide when to have a baby, they should take only half of the responsibility while the other half should be shared by the father.

[Written by - Nataly]

Rating 4.24 (21 Votes)
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Mubasher Ali
Child-rearing is sensitive as well as disputed that remains unsolved for ages. Whether a father or a mother should be more responsible for upbringing the children is indeed controversial. However, I completely disagree that only a mother is responsible for the rearing of children, and I support the idea that parental responsibilitie s should be equally shared.

To commence with, childrearing responsibility is not only about buying toys, cooking food or changing diapers but more about integrating personality to the child. This responsibility varies according to the gender of the children; such that a baby girl is more influenced by her mother while a baby boy learns from and often mimic his father. So if both parents are not there for a baby, the child would not get enough support to become a good human being in the future.

Moreover, upbringing a child by only a mother or a father affects a child's growth negativity. For instance, if the father gets back home late and can’t give leisure time to kids, it may impact the ability of the kid. Secondly, women also have entered into the financial independence zone to support the family. That is why they cannot stay home all day long to take care of the baby. Therefore, sharing equal responsibility by both parents can only bring positive results both for the baby's growth and to have a supportive and sharing family with better financial capability.

In conclusion, a child needs the support of both parents and considering the changing roles in society, it is expected that both parents would be responsible for upbringing a child rather than following the traditional belief that only women are responsible for taking care of babies.


Written by - Mubasher Ali, Edited by Alex.
Noushin
In my view all essays in this page are nice but I think they are not properly organised.
Marinda
IELTS Essay Topic: Fatherhood ought to be emphasized as much as motherhood. The idea that women are solely responsible for deciding whether or not to have babies leads on to the idea that they are also responsible for bringing the children up.To what extent do you agree or disagree with the statement?Sample Answer: In prehistoric ages until the first decades of the last century, having a baby was not a decision to take but an inevitable result of the marriage. Nowadays due to the advancement in medical research and birth control, we are able to decide whether we need children or not and when. In my point of view, the decision of having a baby is a joint responsibility between males and females. To elaborate my point I will take Egypt as an example, especially the countryside. When two persons get married the families of the both sides expect a baby in the first months of marriage, and if there is a delay in the pregnancy they begin to make the necessary checkups and the analyses to have children. While in the men-dominated society the decision of having kids is mainly related to male. And in both previous cases bringing up children is women's responsibility. In the developed countries women are the decision maker for being pregnant. Even in some countries some females, in particular, the celebrities could freeze their ovum and decide when they want to give birth. In some countries, due to the overpopulation, the government may intervene in the decision, for instance, the third child is not funded by the government for education or social insurance in such countries.Saying that, I would like to point out that, a child should be brought up both by the father and the mother. The complete responsibility of a mother to up bring a child is an old concept that is no longer applicable in the modern era when females are working almost in every sector. On top of that, a child's upbringing could never be perfect unless he gets the affection, care, time and companionship both the father and mother. To sum up, marriage is a heavenly bonding between two members equal in rights and duties, and to raise a successful family, the two parties must take the decision together and help each other to bring their children.
Ade
I have written this essay in the 30 minutes time slot, so it has some flaws. Maybe I'll be able to help or maybe someone can read it and correct me. My exam is tomorrow anyway. Determining how to train children and how to share responsibilitie s among parents has been a point of major discussion and sometimes a dispute in families. Bringing up children is the duty of both parents and no parent should have an upper hand or less contribution in the upbringing of their child. Equal responsibilitie s means, there will be togetherness in the family, more financial stability of both parents and freedom for both parents to live a more balanced life.In our present culture, the home is one of the most important avenues to teach a child how to model his life and when both parents train and discipline their children together, it gives the child an understanding of his parent's oneness. For instance, in my culture when a child misbehaves, in most cases the parent aware of the misbehaviour will call the child to order simply by telling the child "I will tell your dad when he gets back from the office" or "just wait till your mother gets back from the market". Both parents will wait for each other, then scold or discipline the child as one. This is one area both parents share equal responsibility.Another area where it is advantageous for parents to share responsibility is in the area of financing the child. The economy is not as simply structured or as one-sided as it was before where in most cases the mother is a stay at home mum and the father works. Nowadays, in most families, both parents work and they split bills that arise from mortgages, groceries etc. This model should also be adapted in the child rearing. For example, my parents while growing us up split their children's school fees into equal halves as compared to their salaries and this eased a lot of financial stress on both of them which made it possible for both of them to seemingly have a form of financial freedom to achieve other things and was able to pursue other what they aspired to do in their lives with respect to funds. Lastly, because my parents shared financial responsibilitie s and raised their children with an equal level of influence and contribution, they were able to concentrate on other aspects of their lives. For example, my dad was able to badge his PhD because he was not saddled with the responsibilitie s of raising the children alone and my mum also achieved a lot while we were growing up. She was not limited to just raising children like some of her friends whose husband believed women were only meant to raise children. This even led such couples to depression. This reason and my personal experience with my family have made me a believer that parents should have equal duties in raising their children.
Kaveri
In this competitive world, both parents are working in many families to upbringing their children and support their family and this arises many debates. Some people believe that the sole responsibility of women is to take care of their children while others believe that fathers are better parents. This essay delves with both views and arrive at a logical conclusion. to begin with, children spend more time with their mothers in their childhood. So they are more attached to their mothers. Mothers have a great influence on children’s character and they follow their mother because mothers know children's' basic needs and act accordingly. Mother-child bonding is strong and mothers take responsibility of children's feeding, bathing, and helping them in doing home works, so they obey and follow their mothers rather than fathers in many cases. This view proves that mothers are better parents.On the other hand, some believe that fathers are better parents because they spend their time working outside to earn money for their livelihood. Since the birth the child sees his/her father taking care and protect the family. So especially the male children follow his father and he stands for his family in the future. Secondly, there are many cases, in the absence of the mother, a father up brings their children.After analysing both these views, I feel that parental care is essential for children behavioural modification. Even though mother knows her child very well, a father can also play an inspiring role for his children. I strongly recommended that both father and mother should find time for their own children and make them better humans.
Abby
In our generation, people have set ideas on what is convenient when it comes to raising a family. Some say that gone are the days where women were solely responsible for upbringing their children, and that fathers should have their fair share of the responsibility. I totally agree with this notion that fatherhood ought to be given importance as much as motherhood.In the past, it was customary for women to stay home and look after the children while the men went out to work and provide foods and shelter for the family. However, the world has evolved since then. The barrier between men and women has gone lower which means, most things that only a man could do in the past is now also shared with women and vice versa. For one, women are also working nowadays and helping the men funding their family's needs.I also want to point out that having a family is not a single person's job. First, a woman cannot get pregnant without a man which also comes to my second point that men are equally responsible in the relationship as women are. Furthermore, women should not be expected to nurture the child alone as the child's persona cannot be built properly from only one of the parents mentoring. In order for the child to receive full care, both parents should spend equal time with the child. Sure there are single mothers out there who seem successfully raised their child alone. But, that is not a guarantee that a child feels complete inside since there is something missing in his or her life and that is the influence and the figure of a father. Moreover, there are things that a mother cannot give to a child that only a father can. A good example is the father's natural ability to protect and secure his family in any way possible. Finally a child will be a better person if he or she is a product of two loving, responsible and nurturing parents who would do everything together to make sure that everything is alright. Someday, hopefully, that child will be the same to his or her future family.