The NY Times reported yesterday that the number of dudes who are staying at home to raise kids has nearly doubled over the last fifteen years, and an increasing percentage of those dudes are choosing to stay home by choice.
The number of stay-at-home-dads has increased from 1.1 million in 1989, to over 2 million in 2012. A lot of it seems to do with the the financial crisis and bros just straight up losing their jobs, but there’s a growing number of guys who are totally cool with letting their wife be the breadwinner, while they stay home with the kids.
I love this move, and am in full support. I’m all for gender equality, and that doesn’t just mean men leveling the playing field for women. This thing goes both ways. If colleges have to eliminate men’s lacrosse programs to make room for women’s bowling, then you better believe that we’re also gonna take advantage of not being ashamed to chill at home and not work. You can’t get all the good things about gender equality without also getting the bad.
I think I’d be an awesome stay-at-home dad. I’d just play video games with my kids whenever they’re around, and do their homework for them to keep my mind sharp and ensure that they’re at the top of their class. I’m not getting any use out of my college degree anyway, so sitting at home watching Maury and making sandwiches won’t really change all that much.
I do worry about the kids though. I think only certain types of dudes have what it takes to be a stay-at-home dad, and I’d say that the majority of men definitely don’t fit the bill. Picture most of your friends, and now imagine what they’d be like spending most of their day with small children. I’m imagining a soon to be released follow-up study, “Exponential Growth Reported in CHILD DEATH.”