Daughters raise the social awareness of their fathers, especially if they are the only child, according to the Korean Women’s Development Institute, a leading research institute for gender policy, on Sunday.

A KWDI report that surveyed 1,800 parents of elementary, middle, and high school students in July showed that fathers who have an only daughter scored the highest average points of 76.76 in a gender equality index.

The average score is two points higher than that of mothers of at least two daughters (74.92, second highest) and mothers of an only daughter (73.72, third highest).

Other types of fathers were far behind in terms of gender equality; fathers of an only son scored the lowest, 60.68; those of a daughter and a son, 63.32; and fathers of at least two daughters scored 68.05.

Mothers on average had higher awareness of gender equality, marking 71.50, than fathers, who scored 64.81 on average.

“Fathers, even those who have a conventional way of thinking, tend to experience indirectly the discrimination (against girls) while raising their daughters. These fathers’ concerns and expectations toward the lives of their daughters thereby affect their perception,” said Ahn Sang-soo, a researcher at the KWDI.

“Sharing the fathers’ understanding and sympathy of their daughter with the rest of society is important.”

The questions asked in the inquiry included whether men should get paid more than women, whether women are not as good decision-makers as men, and whether men cooking in the kitchen looked strange.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)