The idea that both parents should contribute actively to bringing up their offspring would seem hard to dispute.

The idea that both parents should contribute actively to bringing up their offspring would seem hard to dispute. This does not mean however that all tasks in the child rearing process should be shared equally. The idea of tasks being shared equally between parents contains several assumptions. One assumption is that both parents have equal amounts of available time and are both available to do what is required at the time it is required. Clearly this is often not the case. If, for example, a child needs help with some homework one evening and one parent is required to work late, the task falls to the other parent. Therefore, despite genuine attempts to share duties equally, it will not always be practically possible to do so. The second assumption which is implied by the idea of sharing tasks equally is that both parents are equally well prepared or skilled to do all tasks. Again this is clearly not the case most of the time. For instance, it may be that the mother is a teacher and able to provide the kind of support the child needs with their homework more effectively than the father. In theory, perhaps the best approach would be to first decide what the child needs at any given time, and secondly to assess which parent is in the best position to provide this need. This approach is aimed at using the parental resources most effectively, rather than 'equally'. In conclusion, it would seem that the 'equality' point of view may not always be in the child's best interest. A more effective approach might be for couples to agree on how they can best use their resources. Even if this is accomplished however it is unlikely to be achievable constantly due to practical restraints.