Aaron Rochlen from the University of Texas is -- in addition to being a great guy -- has done some really wonderful work (and some of the first work) in trying to understand who at-home dads are and what drives them. So when Aaron sent along details on his latest research effort, I told him I would absolutely pass it along to you. If you're an at-home father, please consider giving Aaron 15 minutes of your time to help this study along:
Dear Stay at home Fathers,
I am recruiting participants for a new study on stay-at-home fathers and wanted to ask for your help! Basically, this study has 3 primary goals. 1) Evaluating the relationship between different reasons for becoming a stay-at-home father and adjustment. 2) Assessing plans and perceptions toward re-entering the workforce & 3) Addressing how different factors relate to the occurrence & perceptions of negative reactions from others.
To my knowledge this will be the first study addressing these questions. As I did with the other project, I'll post a summary back to the major at-home dads forums when available. Honestly, I think this study should yield some interesting and potentially important results.
If anyone is interested in copies of the two published studies I've done on this topic, just shoot me an e-mail! My grandiose thought is that legitimate research on this topic will eventually lead to more positive/realistic portrayals of the SAHF experience in the media and other outlets that can have a positive impact on fathers and men considering the role.
This study has been approved by the IRB board at UTexas at Austin.