I was interested in the Guardian article on how “Stay-at-home dads on the up”:
Study by Aviva shows that more than a quarter of dads gave up work or reduced their hours after the birth of their children
There are now 10 times as many stay-at-home dads in the UK than a decade ago, with one in seven fathers (14%) now the main childcare provider, according to research from Aviva. It says about 1.4 million men are now the primary carer in their households.
The study suggests that a quarter of families with children under 18 share childcare equally, up from 18% in 2010, while more than a quarter of dads (26%) gave up work or reduced their working hours after the birth of their children, and 44% regularly look after the children while their partner works.
Close to half of stay-at-home-dads (43%) told Aviva they felt “lucky” to have the opportunity to spend more time with their kids, but 46% of families said their decision allowed the main earner to keep working.
The trend for increasing numbers of stay-at-home dads has been driven by growing numbers of women earning more than their partner – a quarter of women said they now earn more than their children’s father, while a further 16% said they earn roughly the same as their partner.
But men told Aviva they had had difficulties in assuming primary responsibility for children, with nearly one in five (17%) admitting it makes them feel “less of a man”, 13% claiming they found looking after the children harder than going out to work, and 13% saying they wished they earned more than their partner so they could go back to work.
