Happy Father’s Day! In US there are 2 million stay-at-home Dads
In honor of Father’s Day, Pew Research Center has pulled together “5 facts about today’s fathers,” which includes several facts about the changing roles of fathers. The one I found most interesting is that 7% of US Dads are staying at home to be the primary caregiver of their children. That’s a number that sounds small until you realize that it equals approximately 2 million Dads who do not work outside the home. That’s a lot.
I personally know several families where the husband has become the primary caregiver after their first or second child. For them the decision was an economic one: daycare costs were astronomical and she made more money than he did. So he quit, she continued to work, and he took the lead role in raising the children, at least until they started to go to elementary school.
I should note that this number is up from 4% in 1989, which is only a 3% increase in nearly 25 years. So the change is happening slowly.
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Source: 5 facts about today’s fathers | Pew Research Center
Image source: PublicDomainPictures / Pixabay
Sandra Fernandez is a professional communicator, tech enthusiast, book lover, and blogger. You can find her main blog at SandraSays.com and more of her writing at HispanicHouston.com.