{"id":3354,"date":"2024-06-18T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-18T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/ccf\/?p=3354"},"modified":"2024-05-20T15:32:24","modified_gmt":"2024-05-20T20:32:24","slug":"reprint-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/ccf\/2024\/06\/18\/reprint-8\/","title":{"rendered":"Dads Home with Kids Peaked During The COVID-19 Pandemic \u2013 But Not for The Reason You Think"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Reprinted from the Council on Contemporary Families Brief Reports<\/a><\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

A briefing paper prepared by Arielle Kuperberg, University of North Carolina \u2013 Greensboro, \u00a0Sarah Th\u00e9baud, University of California, Santa Barbara, Kathleen Gerson, New York University, \u00a0and Brad Harrington, Boston College, for the Council on Contemporary Families symposium The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Future of Gender Equality (PDF)<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

More dads were out of the labor force during the COVID-19 pandemic than ever before.<\/em><\/strong> In 2021, 15% of U.S. dads who lived with their children weren\u2019t working, and weren\u2019t actively searching for work \u2013 an all-time high (see Figure 1).\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Figure 1: <\/em><\/strong>Growth in Dads at Home, 1968-2022. Analysis of Current Population Survey Data, Yearly March Supplement, conducted using the ipums.org online data analyzer. Analysis includes all men living with their own children under age 18 at time of survey, and is nationally representative of the United States. Update and expansion of results <\/em>previously published<\/em><\/a>. Data analyzed by authors for Council on Contemporary Families.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

But according to them, it wasn\u2019t because they were taking care of the kids. Only one-percent of dads who lived with their children in 2021 and 2022 (fewer than 1 of 10 dads out of the labor force) said they were not looking for a job because they were taking care of home and family.\u00a0Instead, almost all of the recent growth in dads out of the workforce has been the result of an increase in those who report that they are \u201cretired.\u201d<\/strong><\/em> In 2000, 4.4% of dads living with their minor children were retired; by 2022, this had risen to 7.4%, accounting for about half of dads living with their children who were out of the labor force.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The rise in retirement rates was a result of two trends. One is that fewer young men are having children.<\/em><\/strong> Recent PEW reports found that 63% of young men are single<\/a>, and that birth rates have dropped to record lows<\/a>.\u00a0Our analysis of the Current Population Survey \u2013 March Supplement<\/a>, a nationally representative annual survey of U.S. adults, found that in 2000, 44% of men in their 30s were not living with any of their own minor children \u2013 but by 2022 this number was almost 55%. We found rates of fatherhood are staying steady for men in their 40s and slightly growing among men in their 50s and 60s, so a larger share of dads are older.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Second, our analysis of the data found a growing share of even younger dads in their 50s, 40s, and even 30s say they are retired. During the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, more dads retired than usual, as health risks, lack of child care, and labor market upheavals drove many workers out of the paid workforce. Taken together, the increase in fathers out of the paid labor force are more a result of trends in fathers\u2019 aging and retirement than changing ideas about gender, work and parenthood.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Figure 2: <\/em><\/strong>Fathers and Mothers Living with their own Children under Age 18, 2021. Authors\u2019 Analysis of Current Population Survey \u2013 March Supplement Data.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

But why aren\u2019t <\/em>more dads stepping up to stay home to care for home and family? After all, in an increasing number<\/a> of families, including an increasing number of two-parent married families<\/a>, mothers are the sole or \u201cprimary earners\u201d (earning over 60% of the household income) for at least part of their children\u2019s childhood. But while rates of moms staying home with kids have declined over time, we found that even when the proportion of dads out of the labor force reached peak rates in 2021, mothers living with their children were over ten times as likely as fathers living with their children to report they were home to take care of home and children(see Figure 2).\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Our collective research suggests that culturally entrenched ideas about masculinity, fatherhood, and breadwinning still shape gender differences in staying home to care for children.<\/em><\/strong> Although men value care, and society increasingly values fathers as caregivers, dads are still most strongly judged on their roles as workers and financial providers, limiting their ability to comfortably take on caring roles.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

In research-in-progress on trait desirability for American men and women, Th\u00e9baud & colleagues find that, in one sense, people\u2019s perspectives on masculinity do <\/em>appear to beevolving: most people believe it is highly socially desirable for men, especially fathers, to be caring, supportive, family-oriented, kind, and affectionate. In fact, these traits were perceived to be just as desirable in men as other, more stereotypically masculine, attributes like competitiveness and risk-taking.\u00a0However, they also found that this apparent desirability for men to be engaged in caregiving is overshadowed by an extremely strong and durable expectation that men prioritize work: being hardworking, ambitious, career-oriented, and a provider were rated as the most highly desirable attributes in men<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Additional research by Harrington, Th\u00e9baud and colleagues further illustrates this duality in fatherhood expectations. In a study<\/a> of more than a thousand working parents in professional occupations, more than three quarters would ideally prefer to share caregiving responsibilities equally with their spouse<\/strong>. But fewer than half were actually able to achieve that ideal in their day to day lives.<\/strong> Why? Workplace culture and expectations \u2013 especially the often taken-for-granted notion that the best workers are those who prioritize work over outside responsibilities \u2013 are one important culprit.\u00a0That is, even when fathers would ideally like to share caregiving equally with their spouse, and even when they work in organizations that offer generous policies and benefits, the presence of intense work demands and expectations in their workplace can dramatically reduce their chances of achieving that ideal.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Restrictive ideas about masculinity, gender and work also shape young people\u2019s outlooks. In another study<\/a> by Gerson, 120 millennials were interviewed about how they envisioned their work and family ties. She found that most men and women aspired to share paid work and caregiving in an egalitarian partnership, yet they were skeptical about the chances of achieving this goal. Men felt constrained by the need to put work first, which meant they looked to a partner to do most of the caregiving. Yet women did not share this view. They wished to avoid a \u201ctraditional\u201d relationship that expected them to do most of childcare, even if that meant remaining single and either forgoing childbearing or bearing and supporting a child on their own.<\/em><\/strong> Such perspectives may explain recent declines in childbearing. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The enduring expectation that fathers should prioritize work is apparent in how stay-at-home dads are viewed and treated. Research by Kuperberg and colleagues<\/a> examining news articles about stay-at-home dads over 30 years indicates that while stigma surrounding stay-at-home dads has declined over time, dads who voluntarily choose<\/em> to stay home with their kids are still described as being ridiculed, excluded, and socially isolated, receiving \u201cstrange looks\u201d and \u201csnide comments.\u201d This persistent stigma may explain why out-of-work dads in their 30s, 40s, and 50s increasingly describe themselves as \u201cretired,\u201d but not \u201ctaking care of home and family.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This kind of social environment \u2013 in which father\u2019s caregiving is highly valued, but their employment and career devotion remains virtually non-negotiable \u2013 severely limits the range of options that parents face when it comes to figuring out how to best organize work and family responsibilities.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

To achieve gender equality in work and family roles, it seems clear that we need greater attention to fathers, fatherhood, and ideas about masculinity and work<\/em><\/strong>. The pandemic pushed more fathers to \u201cretire\u201d before their children were adults, and potentially take on more caretaking roles at home. Other research in this symposium also finds that remote work led to greater equality in home roles. As more dads gained experience with caretaking roles during the pandemic, and economic forces continue to shift, families may continue to rely on dads for childcare at higher rates, creating new possibilities for families.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

About the Authors<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Arielle Kuperberg<\/em><\/a> is Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina \u2013 Greensboro and Chair of the Council on Contemporary Families. She can be reached at <\/em>atkuperb@uncg.edu<\/em><\/a>. Follow her on Twitter at <\/em>@ATKuperberg<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Sarah Th\u00e9baud <\/em><\/a>is Professor of Sociology and Director of Graduate Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She can be reached at <\/em>sthebaud@ucsb.edu<\/em><\/a>. Twitter: <\/em>@sthebaud1<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Kathleen Gerson<\/em><\/a> is Professor of Sociology and Collegiate Professor of Arts & Science at New York University. She can be reached at <\/em>kathleen.gerson@nyu.edu<\/em><\/a>. You can follow her on Twitter at <\/em>@KathleenGerson<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Brad Harrington <\/em><\/a>is a Research Professor and Executive Director of the Boston College Center for Work & Family. He can be reached at <\/em>brad.harrington@bc.edu<\/em><\/a>. You can follow him on Twitter <\/em>@DrBradH<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reprinted from the Council on Contemporary Families Brief Reports A briefing paper prepared by Arielle Kuperberg, University of North Carolina \u2013 Greensboro, \u00a0Sarah Th\u00e9baud, University of California, Santa Barbara, Kathleen Gerson, New York University, \u00a0and Brad Harrington, Boston College, for the Council on Contemporary Families symposium The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Future of Gender Equality […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2124,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/ccf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/ccf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/ccf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/ccf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2124"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/ccf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3354"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/ccf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3354\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3563,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/ccf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3354\/revisions\/3563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/ccf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/ccf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/ccf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}