In addition to problems of instrument selection and interpretation and problems associated with sampling procedures, psychologists' person-blame interpretations of social problems (interpretations that call for change in individuals and ignore needs for systemic change) and gender beliefs (such as assumptions about women and motherhood, men and power) present obstacles to meaningful research on parenting. These obstacles are specific instances of the general problems of the influence of assumptions about reality on scientific inquiry and bias in the conduct of research. Future parenting research should employ the Parental Role Scales (PRS), an instrument focusing on parental role perceptions in dual-working families and on the way perceived parental role demands are met in these families. The PRS can be used to study situational, personal, and attitudinal parenting variables, as well as to explore the influence of social changes on parents' enactment of roles and to assess theories which predict differential enactment of roles for mothers and fathers. (Author/RH)