Can Stay at Home Dads Replace Moms?

According to a recent article on the parenting community Babble.com, there has been a 62% rise in single father households from 1990 to 2003; the number of stay-at-home dads in the U.S. last year had risen to 159,000; and there’s a sharp decline in the babysitting job category. The statistics sure do indicate that dads are replacing moms at a fast rate.

So, what does this new dad look like? And, is he really taking on the traditional "mommy" role and becoming a full-time child care provider!?

A proud stay at home dad, Dana Glazer, says that they are just a tiny fraction and sub-culture representing what is a much more radical change in the way families are operating these days and handling their approach to child care and childrearing.

"Stay at home dads, at least from my perspective, are a total novelty and something that’s been going on since the early 90s," Dana said. "Typically the stories are fluffy: they claim that [stay-at-home dads] are growing in numbers; and then there's a citation from the Census Bureau; and then there's always the references to the movies Mr. Mom or Daddy Day Care. My perspective on [this trend] is that on the surface, it's progressive, but underneath that, it's the status quo—just a flip in the traditional gender role. You get traditional dads who glance at it and go "ICK!"

But the larger issues at hand, like gender equity and work-family balance, are largely ignored. In the best possible world, kids need to interact with both parents as much as possible. What the kids get from the mother is very different from what they get from the father, and kids are so stimulated by that different kind of interaction. The more the typical gender roles blend, the better. The ‘nanny Dallas’ or nanny Denver’ positions are fast filling, proving that parents still look out for babysitters without giving thought to their child’s overall development.

What are the challenges you face being a stay-at-home dad? Do you really think dads can replace moms?

We'd love to hear from you!

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