Thursday, March 05, 2009

"The Week the Women Went": Dumb TV Not Relegated to the U.S.
 

Very few of you probably remember "Meet Mr. Mom," an ill-fated, summer-fill-in reality show from NBC a few year's back that was built around a spectacularly dumb concept: fathers forced to fend for themselves when mom was suddenly taken away to a spa (or somesuch) by evil television producers. The reason you probably don't remember it is because it was a colossal failure (giving me hope for my fellow citizens). 

But the fine folks north of the border are trying a higher-concept version of the same thing. CBC is now six episodes into the latest installment of  "The Week the Women Went," which is following the fathers of a Nova Scotia community as they deal with a week of momlessness. This is apparently the second edition of the show, which has done well by viewers and critics. For obvious reasons, I'm not a big CBC watcher, but my Canadian sources tell me that this is not a one-joke show designed to highlight men's incompetence. 

Still, color me unimpressed by the idea of a "social experiement" that is based on the idea that there is something dramatic (or comedic) about guys being pressed into service as fathers. It's not that I don't think that anything interesting willing happen -- most families are a finely tuned ecosystem that turn topsy-turvy whenever something changes -- it's just that pegging this all to the idea that guys don't exactly know how to cope is a bit tired. I'm speaking without the benefit of any perspective, though, so I'd love to hear from my Canadian readers ... 

Labels: at home dads, cbc, reality tv, SAHD, stay at home dads

posted by Rebel Dad 9:27 AM |

Monday, March 02, 2009

It's Stat Time Again! (At-Home Dad Numbers Drop)
 

Before I get into the Census Bureau's estimates for the number of at-home dads in 2008, I need to acknowledge the fact that I totally missed the estimate for 2007. For some reason, I never saw the number, which was buried in this Excel spreadsheet. I don't feel terrible about it; the Census Bureau apparently completely missed the number, too. So ... even though it is a year late, lets get a drumroll. The number of at-home dads in 2007 was ...

165,000.

That's 6,000 more than 2006 number, a modest 4 percent rise, and the highest figure ever.

But ...

The 2008 stats are now out, and they are less, ahem, robust. According to the Census Bureau, 140,000 guys were staying home with the kids in 2008. Let me put that in historical context:

2008: 140,000

2007: 165,000

2006: 159,000

2005: 143,000

2004: 147,000

2003: 98,000

2002: 106,000

2001: 81,000

2000: 93,000

1999: 71,000

1998: 90,000

So you're probably saying "Whoa! what the hell is going on here?" As am I. Here is my honest answer: looking closely at the numbers, the number of "all married couples with kids under 15" (the group from which the Census Bureau plucks the at-home dad numbers) is down more than 1 million between 2007 and 2008. The official explanation for this is that the Boomer kids are finally out of the house, and us Gen Xer and Gen Yers are waiting longer on having kids, so the number of parents capable of staying home is down big (more than 5 percent). This suggests that a bunch of at-home dads are now essentially empty nesters. (This would explain the huge, 200,000 drop in at-home moms, too.) This strikes me as suspect, but I'm no demographer, so draw your own conclusions.

This statistical blip is happening on top of all of the other statistical blips that make the current way of calculating at-home parents so dumb. This nutty economy will only exacerbate the difference between "official" at-home dads and the growing number of guys who are doing the gig. 

Lost your job in February and been staying home since? You're not counted (you have to be out of the labor force for 52 weeks). Quit on Christmas Day, 2007 but consult a couple of days a month? You're not counted either (you're not technically out of the labor force). Fired in 18 months ago and going to night school? You're probably not counted (you have to out of the labor force specifically caring for your family). Did your spouse loose her job, only to find another one 3 weeks later? You're not counted. And don't even get me started on divorced dads, gay dads or unmarried fathers.

I've always thought these are bogus numbers, but I take what I'm given. As always, the full accounting of the various ways of describing the at-home dad population are on my at-home dads stats page.

Labels: at home dads, census, census bureau, numbers, SAHD, statistics, stats, stay at home dads

posted by Rebel Dad 7:13 AM |

Saturday, February 28, 2009

More Requests: Long Island and Evansville, Indiana
 

Though I can't claim to be happy about it, the parenting story of the year is the growing group of parents who are at-home for economic reasons. The latest request to come over the transom comes from the nice folks at WLNYTV10/55 News on Long Island. So if you're a new at-home dad because of a recent job loss, and you're in the greater Long Island area and would like to talk about it, let me know.

(In fact, if you fit that description and live *anywhere* and want to talk about it with the press, shoot me an e-mail at rebeldad@gmail.com and I'll start a database. I keep getting asked this question, and I don't want to plug up the site with journalist requests.)

On a happier note, Chad in Evansville, Indiana is interested in starting up a local dad's group. If you're in the general vicinity, let me know and I'll connect you. You can never have too many connections between dads.

Labels: at-home dads, dad groups, dads, economy, interviews, playgroups, SAHD, SAHDS, stay-at-home dads

posted by Rebel Dad 10:54 PM |

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Old Time Rock and Roll Dad
 

I have to be honest: I really hadn't noticed that Bob Seger had all but disappeared from the rock scene for the last decade. But apparently, the musical genius behind "Old Time Rock and Roll," had indeed taken some time off to do the at-home dad thing, according to a piece in the Kansas City Star (the city, apparently, had its mind blown by playing host to the At-Home Dad Convention and now can't resist writing about dads). So add Seger to the list of celebs who have done the at-home dad thing.

Waiting on Babble: Babble.com is apparently launching tonight. The New York Times profiled the hipper-than-me online mag on Sunday, but what struck me as revolutionary was not that the pub would be hip, but that the folks behind it expected to capture ... dads. Best of luck in that effort, and I can't wait to see the product.

Labels: athomedad, celebs, dads, media, SAHD

posted by Rebel Dad 9:27 PM |