Numbers of Stay at Home Dads are Rising
Being a Dad today no longer necessarily means leaving for work before the kids are out of bed and getting home in time to kiss them goodnight. In today’s world, parenting has become much more of a joint responsibility, shared between parents on a much more even basis than ever before. In fact, the numbers of stay at home dads have been steadily rising since 2007 with all-time highs being reached in 2018 at 20.2 percent, numbers which would have been inconceivable in the 20th century.
Following the Numbers
When Pew Research Center began records on stay at home parenting in 1989, only 4 percent of fathers stayed home with their children during the day—and a quarter of them were home because they couldn’t find work. Interestingly, since that time, the number of women staying home with their children has fluctuated, with a low point of 23 percent in 2000, and then rising to 27 percent more recently. Meanwhile, the number of men staying home has doubled since 1989.
The numbers for women staying home has risen and fallen in the last decade, but the rate of stay at home dads has been steadily increasing for many reasons. While some of these dads are home with their children due to injuries, illnesses, and unemployment, those numbers haven’t changed. Instead, the steady rise in numbers is the result of the men who are choosing to stay home with their children while their wives or partners go out to work.
Why are More Men Now Choosing To Stay at Home with Children?
The numbers of male caregivers in the home are increasing due to multiple factors. More relaxed gender roles in today’s society mean that it’s no longer the negative stigma it once was for a father to be a stay at home parent. Women are also much more comfortable with the expectation of equally shared parenting, and no longer takes it for granted that she is expected to be the “hands-on” parent full time. Because mothers are confidently expecting more parental involvement from their partners, and stigmas are disappearing, more women are choosing to remain in the workplace, while men stay home and handle the household and the children during working hours.
A large part of this growing trend is the more equal pay that women are happily experiencing in the workplace. This sometimes results in the decision for a father to give up his work outside of the home to act as caretaker of the children if the mother earns a higher salary or wages, meaning often this is simply the more reasonable financial choice, and men are no longer held back by fear of gender stigma.
Growing Support for Changing Roles
As the numbers of stay at home fathers have increased, so has support for them in the marketplace, with father-friendly products such as Daddy Diaper Bags being included in the best diaper bag choices of today. Tactical-style bags with multiple pockets for baby gear and supplies, as well as great backpack diaper bags, and even pocketed vests which are more male-friendly and allows hands-free activities with children.
Stay at home fathers can also reach out for support with their own community through such organizations at The National At-Home Dad Network. This community advocacy group offers an annual HomeDadCon event, with HomeDadCon 2020 planned for October 8th through 11th in Covington Kentucky.
Resources— VeryWellFamily, Zillow, USAtoday
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