It’s not news that moms may have a tougher time finding work if they’ve taken extended time off to raise their kids. Now, however, stay-at-home dads are feeling the pinch. To the work world, time away is just as – perhaps more – detrimental for a man than for a woman.
Just a generation ago – when my own child, CollegeBoy, was growing up — the stay-at-home dad (Mr. Mom as he was known then) was a true anomaly. Yet in 2009, a record 7.4% of fathers in married-couple families with children under 18 were home while their wives worked, according to unpublished Bureau of Labor Statistics data cited in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal article on this subject.
According to the story, stay-at-home dads “face a bigger stigma” among potential employers than stay-at-home moms. Dads who are attempting to return in the wake of the recession are feeling the impact big-time when competing for what positions exist, as it was primarily jobs held by men that were eliminated – leading to what some have labeled a “he –cession.”
How do you feel about dads leaving work to stay home with their kids? Do you feel that it’s only fair that dads take a turn – or do you feel it’s moms’ responsibility? When SHOULD it be the husband and not the wife who makes the move home? And do you think it’s acceptable for employers to think less of a man for taking time off to care for his kids – even if their logic is that as a result he is behind his peers on current industry knowledge, skills and contacts?
Great question! I think it is perfectly fine for Dads to stay at home. The way the economy is right now, it also makes sense for a dad to stay home if the mom is the breadwinner.
To me, if either parent is able to stay home with the kids, it is a wonderful thing. I do wish employers wouldn’t frown upon a man staying home with the kids. Those who do possibly don’t have children themselves!