Are Stay-at-Home Dads Increasing?
Inspite of what The Washington Post and msnbc.com are saying, stay-at-home dads are still less than 1 percent of parents according to the U.S. Census. Stay-at-home moms, however, make up 24 percent of households. W. Bradford Wilcox at National Review corrects the picture: The focus on Mr. Mom obscures another important reality. In most American families today, fathers still take the lead when it comes to breadwinning: In 2008, the Census estimated that fathers were the main provider in almost three-quarters of American married families with children under 18. Providership is important to protect children from poverty, raise their odds of educational success, and increase the likelihood that they will succeed later in life. Thus, the very real material contribution that the average American dad makes to his family is obscured by stories that focus on that exotic breed, the stay-at-home dad. Are there times, such as lay offs, when Dad has to stay-at-home? Of course. Is it hard work? Yes!
