“It’s a partnership,” insists one married 34-year-old father of two surveyed in May. He’s one of 15 dads, ages 25 to 50, who gave in-depth interviews in conjunction with an online survey of more than 600 fathers and nearly 700 mothers about mens’ roles in parenting and their own self-perception. “It’s not 50/50,” he says. “It’s an ‘everybody’s all in’ kind of scenario. One hundred percent, both ways.” Still, it turns out that the degree to which dads are comfortable taking sole responsibility depends on age.
More than half of Millennial fathers — born in the 80s and 90s —assume the lead in taking their kids to extracurricular activities (versus 42 percent of Generation X family men who were born in the 60s and 70s), dressing the kids (39 percent versus 22 percent of Gen X-ers) and bathing them (42 percent versus 29 percent). “What we’re seeing is Millennials really going all in with fatherhood and embracing the role, and more so than Gen X-ers,” David Iudica, director of strategic insights and research at Yahoo, tells Yahoo Parenting. “They want to be more present and connected with their kids.”
In fact, 70 percent of stay-at-home dads claim to have taken on the role by choice. And with the number of dads at home having doubled in just ten years, per the U.S. Census Bureau, not to mention the 2 million single dads raising their children, hands-on fathers have officially replaced the bumbling Mr. Mom stereotype from a few decades ago.
It’s worth noting, however, that nearly half of the moms surveyed claim that they prefer more traditional gender roles in terms of household responsibilities. And that stay-at-home dads who report feeling a stigma say it stems from women who hold such views.
A big problem facing these new super dads, though, is work-life balance. Forty-five percent say that despite sharing parental duties, they’re seen as the default parent. For working dads, that means pulling double duty at home and in the office just like working mothers. As a result, 61 percent of dads admit that it’s difficult to balance work and family — nearly the same percent as women (64 percent) who confess feeling the same way.