Kathie Lingle's Work-Life Blog

Rebel Dads Are On the Rise

April 3, 2008 - The number of stay-at-home dads has increased 60% over the past four years. Approximately one quarter of working women today make more money than their husbands/partners. 

These two trends were offered up and then adroitly linked on NBC’s Today show this morning during a Today’s Family segment that riveted my attention.

Two stay-at-home dads appeared in a video clip; one at home with the kids as his wife left for work, and the second was featured on a playground, talking sports with another dad while their kids played.  Matt Lauer then interviewed two experts:  Aaron Rochlen, Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology at the University of Texas in Austin, and Brian Reid, a stay-at-home dad who is founder of www.rebeldad.com.

A quick tour of Reid’s website yields a treasure trove of surprises and fascinating tidbits for a work-life aficionado such as yours truly:  a list of over three dozen “dad blogs”; the opportunity to purchase Rebel Gear (mugs, aprons, kids t-shirts); news about the fast-approaching Dadstock Beer & Food Fair (2ND annual); tips on starting a dad’s group; and information about the upcoming 13th annual At-Home Dads Convention that will take place on November 8th in Sacramento.  Who knew that at-home-dads have been so organized for so long? Their conference pre-dates our own Alliance for Work-Life Progress annual get-together, with an agenda that appropriately reflects a blend of self-care (depression and isolation, anger management), advocacy (growing your at-home dads group), relationship skills (communication in your marriage) and a few parenting skills designed to augment the standard repertoire of today’s man (hair braiding, basic repair sewing).  I’ll leave it up to the reader to discover what the social events might be – also right on the mark, considering the target audience. 

Back on the MSNBC website, Reid has posted a list of “Six Smart Steps for Potential Stay-At-Home Dads,” followed by four specific calls for advocacy that bring these dads squarely in line with the practices of “employers of choice” and the goals of those of us in the work-life function: expand paid leave for all parents (fathers as well as mothers); provide more flexible career options; allow more flexibility in where, when and how people work; and create more awareness that stereotyping (of dads or moms) hurts the case of gender equity for all.

Right on!  These guys are brilliant and would make excellent allies on the front lines of the struggle to make all organizations great places to work.  

Any of you men out there have any suggestions about next steps?  ARE there any men out there reading this blog, or are you all on the dad blogs?  Talk to me!

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of WorldatWork and its affiliate, Alliance for Work-Life Progress (AWLP).