Report: 50% of Fathers Are “At-Home Dads”

I read a brief article about at-home dads by Myra Butterworth from the UK’s Daily Telegraph.co.uk that suggests “Half of fathers are choosing flexible or part-time working hours to spend more time with their families.” In the article, Almost Half of all fathers are stay at-home dads, Butterworth reports about recent survey findings of 2,000 fathers by The Children’s Mutual. I do not want to draw too many conclusions about a survey that I can’t find much information about or that was completed by a child trust fund company. However, there are some positive findings described by David White, chief executive of The Children’s Mutual & their research.

• “The changing role of dads within families is a positive step towards the greater recognition of what dads can and do contribute to family life. Dads play a vital role within their children’s lives and their homes, so it’s great to see these changing family dynamics.”
• “One of the most important roles for every dad is being a provider for his children, whether that’s as the main breadwinner or lead carer.”
• As many as 14 per cent of the 2,000 fathers surveyed said they chose to stop working altogether following the birth of their children, while 26 per cent said they decided to work part-time and 24 per cent said they started working flexibly, according to the research by The Children’s Mutual.

I am a walking example of what many will continue to hear and read about at-home dads. I don’t always believe that what I do everyday (and what so many other dads do) is newsworthy, but the media is on a tear describing how amazingly, dads CAN be caring, involved, and a successful caregiver to their kids.