Stay_at_Home_Fathers

Running head: STAY AT HOME DADS Social opinion of stay at home dads Social opinion of stay at home dads Being a parent is one of the most demanding and difficult jobs that a person can have. This task is mostly taken on by women; now there is a new wave of men across the county that is willing to take on this role. Women have been the primary care taker for their children since the beginning of time. In the past decade; social-economical influences and pressures have caused a steady flow of women to enter the workforce, because of this, the entire family has to contribute more towards the care of children. I have read various articles and columns on the reverse roles of the family. As more women enter the workforce, more men are stepping into the role of being the primary care-taker of the children. Over the past four years, stay at home dads have risen as much as 60 percent. According to the U.S. Census, there are an estimated 143,000 stay at home dads in the United States. The reasons that these men had for deciding to stay at home varied from wanting to be more involved in their child lives to their spouse income was high enough to cover the household expenses. No matter how grand the reason for these men to become stay at home dads their decisions did not go without criticism. With all the talk about this new trend I wanted to know what those around me thought about the subject. I decided to conduct a small survey among some of my male peers and introduce the topic of stay at home dads. The goal of my survey would be to obtain my participants first perception of a stay at home dad and would they entertain the thought of becoming one. For the sake of my paper I interviewed four of my male peers as well as read three online surveys. I started the survey asking each person what they thought a stay at home dad was. Their answer was pretty much similar in that they all thought that a stay at home dad was a term used to describe a male parent who is the main caregiver of the children and the home. Ext I asked each participant would they considered being a stay at home dad and their responses are as followed: Participant 1. Question 1: Does he support the idea of being a stay at home dad. He felt that stay at home dads benefit the family in various ways. His response was that he would support staying at home, but for a limited period of time. He said that he would stay at home for about three or four years, unless he had a disability that would prevent him from working. Question 2: Why does he think that many men shy away from being a stay at home dads' Participant 1 stated have he felt that men gain their identities from their job and the ability to care for their family. He felt that society has influenced the way we look at gender roles, which makes it more common for us to think of women as the primary care takers of the children and household. Participant 2. Question 1: Would he become a stay at home dad. His response was that if the option was that he could stay home with the children, he said that he would not. He felt that he could not stay at home and have his wife care for him. Next I asked what if he was injured and could not enter back into his previous profession. He stated that he would try to find another job that would accommodate him. He felt that there is no reason for "his" wife to have to provide for the family. Question 2: Why does he oppose being a stay at home dad' His response was that the man should be the bread winner of the family and if his spouse wanted to work then that would be ok. Even if both parents made identical salaries he suggested that he would want her to quit her job and he remain working. Participant 3. Question one: How do you think other men judge those that are staying at home dads' He thought that the opinion of a stay at home dad varied depending on the maturity of the man. Many men think that being a stay at home dad is not a masculine title. His duty should be the bread winner and not dependent on his wife. Participant 3 personal opinions was that if economically, the wife earned enough to support the family and both spouses agreed then there should be no problem for him to stay at home with the children. Caring for your children does not change the fact that he is a man. Participant 4. Question 1: What are the emotional, social and economical impacts for families that have the dad that stays at home' His response was that when a dad decides to stay at home with the children, he is not only showing his commitment to his children, but also his love and support for his wife. Question 2: Do you think that there is one race the predominately chose to stay at home' Participant 4 suggested that white males were more likely to take on the role of staying at home. Maybe it is due to the likelihood of their having a good paying job to support the family. In my research on stay at home dads, I did not find any statistics that supported weather or not white men were the predominant race to become a stay at home dad. In conclusion I feel that the trend of becoming a stay at home dad is here to stay. The decision to do so will bring both positive and negative criticism, but ultimately it is up to the family to decide weather or not it is a good fit for them.