Stay-at-home dads : the new moms?

Abstract

This study questions whether family responsibilities are still mainly considered as a woman's job despite the fact that we are living in the twenty-first century. Things are changing to the extent that some fathers are opting to stay at home taking care of the house and the children whilst their partner remains in employment. What motivates and what demotivates fathers to stay at home? This study sought to answer this question with the help of two different groups of fathers - fathers who chose to stay at home whilst their wives are in full-time employment, and fathers who are in full-time employment whilst their wives are full-time mothers. The findings show that although stereotypical gender roles persist, generally, who brings home the most money determines who stays at home. In fact, the partners of the stay-at-home dads (SAHDs) are all career women, to the contrary of the partners of the working fathers who are stay-at-home mums. This could be seen to suggest that if women are given equal work opportunities to advance in their careers, more men will opt to stay at home. This is especially the case when the couple prefers to take care of their children themselves rather than making use of childcare centres or leaving their children in the care of relatives.