Back to the Numbers
Posted on 30. Mar, 2007 by rebel in General
(Warning: I talk below about men and workplaces and flexibility and balance. Apparently, the readers over at On Balance are sick and tired of the topic. You folks tend to be more forgiving, but if you’ve had it with the topic, then you may want to hold off reading until tomorrow.)
I have been thinking and thinking about the latest at-home dad number (159,000 in 2005) in the hopes that I can find something new to say about it. As longtime readers know, the Census Bureau releases these figures every year, and every year I struggled to say something new. (Here’s my take from the 2002 numbers, the 2003 numbers and the 2004 numbers).
But there’s nothing new there. The numbers are so small as to be useless when looking for trends, and the only conclusion that can be safely drawn is that at-home dad numbers are rising. It’s probably not even safe to hazard a guess at how fast the numbers are rising.
Of course, the biggest sin continues to be the omission of fathers who — by any other definition — are the primary caretakers. In the age of broadband internet, work is not an all-or-nothing proposition. You can be an at-home dad and still bring home some cash on the side, which take you right out of the Census stats. I imagine the same problem compromises the at-home mom numbers.
There’s a new book out there (which — full disclosure — I haven’t read) that underscores that the workforce is shifting, and pigeonholing men and women into a “work” box or a “home” box is increasingly futile. It’s called The Opt-Out Revolt, and from the sounds of the early reviews, it’s a pretty comprehensive look at the way parents (mostly moms) make constant shifts in their work-life responsibilities to pursue their various goals.
I’m prone to prattle on about how technology has freed knowledge workers from the old notions of “work” as something that must be done somewhere else for eight straight hours. The future will be a lot more subtle. You’ll see a lot more dads who will be able to stradding the work-home divide and play a key role in their children’s lives. But you won’t see those dads show up in the Census stats.
Phil
30. Mar, 2007
I am not a stay-at-home dad according to the census criteria. Over the seven-plus years as the primary cargiver to my kids, I have managed to work part-time anywhere from 10-28 hours a week. Unfortunately, the media take this number and use it in numerous articles and stories. This gets back to my comments in previous posts on the proliferation of lazy journalism (especially local tv news). The bottom line is families do what they have to do with the situation at hand and make the best of it.
James
30. Mar, 2007
I also have been the primary caregiver for almost 4 years while working part time from home - all thanks to the Internet! It has worked out great and we have saved a ton of money on day care costs and my wife gets to see the kids more since she can come home for lunch.
This scenario keeps me out of that Census stat, too.
RebelDad, maybe you should do a census poll here on your site (since you get the most dad traffic) to include all the work at home fathers so we can pump up that figure! It may not be scientific but it would be interesting…
James
eddie
28. Feb, 2010
My story is too crazy for any one to believe. Simply put, no woman could change a diaper as fast as I can. I do the laundry as good as the best of them. I am a construction worker who takes care of three boys because my wife progressively got sicker. Finally shell slipped in her own world and out of the blue wanted a divorce. Oldest boy has not talked to her in two years and I’m still the dad. The turmoil is beyond anything imaginable. Nevertheless, I’ll put my woman skills up against the best of them. I’m the only male chauvinist I know who has the right to be a male chauvinist. If I was any more a male chauvinist, I could have been a woman. Signed a 210 pound construction worker who survived two construction accidents, lost fingers twice, survived cancer so far and still can kick your ass while changing a diaper.