Mr. Mom nation reaches new peak

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), August, 2005

An analysis of Census Bureau data shows that the role of fathers has changed dramatically over the last decade, with the number of dads at home caring for children under age six at an all-time high. The number likely will continue to grow if recent surveys and generational characteristics are accurate, surmises the global outplacement firm of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., Chicago.

In March, 2003, the latest year for which Census statistics are available, there were 299,000 married-family households in which only the wife was in the labor force and the husband was at home with at least one child under six. This figure was up 29% from March, 1993, when 231,000 married-couple households were in this category. Of the nearly 300,000 stay-at-home dads counted in 2003, 98,000 had been at home caring for one or more family members for at least 52 weeks, according to Census Bureau calculations.

"Of course these numbers pale in comparison to the number of stay-at-home mothers, but the fact that the ranks of full-time fathers are growing says a lot about the changing norms in our society," asserts John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

Challenger points out that the 299,000 stay-at-home dads in 2003 were not merely unemployed men who got stuck looking after the kids. "These fathers were not in the labor force, which means they were not working or even looking for work. To be certain, some of these men were probably victims of downsizing and, discouraged with their job prospects, decided to take an extended break from job searching and focus on their children. However, this should not discount the conscious decision these fathers made."