RebelDad

NPR’s Half-Hearted Look at Re-Entering the Workforce

Posted on 25. Mar, 2010 by Brian Reid in dad groups, economy, media

Yesterday, NPR took a look at at-home dads, and they started the in the usual, easy, formulaic way: at an at-home dad playgroup (in this case, one of the ones in my old stomping ground). And then the piece pivots to talk about a big and important issue: how dads get back into the workforce after taking time out with the kids.

Unfortunately, the piece doesn’t really go there. There are a lot of different ways to look at this. Some dads are conflicted about the prospect of going back to work at all. Some dads are garden-variety out-of-work men who have taken on the childcare duties as a cost-saving effort. And some at-home dads are home by choice (but still plan to re-enter the workforce later) and some have been forced into the position. Each of these guys have a different attitude toward going back.

In addition, the issues involved here are gender-neutral. This topic has filled reams and reams of writing of academics and social scientists when it comes to moms, and it’s a shame that none of that information filtered its way into this piece. Sure, it’s new that dads are facing this challenge, but it’s not a new challenge, the answers aren’t new. (In fact, the best answers might come from Ann Crittenden’s wonderful “If You’ve Raised Kids, You Can Manage Anything,” which is a work that seems to have been utterly forgotten.)

Finally, the “expert” used — the great Jeremy Adam Smith — has let me know that his quotes don’t reflect his opinion: he believes that caregiving dads aren’t up the creek when they re-enter the workforce. I have to agree. There are unique challenges for anyone who is making the move, and at-home dads aren’t in a uniquely difficult position.