Is it the age of the stay-at-home dad?

  The COVID-19 pandemic established new norms for American society, particularly related to the way that work and the economy became structured. The stereotypical division of stay-at-home moms and working dads seems to have shifted, remote work threatens to usher in the age of the stay-at-home dad.

The lockdowns during COVID forced remote work, and remote work has become particularly attractive for working professionals with kids at home. Over 60% of all people who worked remotely over the pandemic wish to continue working remotely full time, often citing benefits like more time with kids and cost savings. However, the division of people with the option of working from home isn’t equal. Women are more likely to be nurses, teachers, or secretaries, all jobs with a greater demand for in-person work. This has increased the likelihood that men stay at home, taking care of kids and the house, while the women go out for work. Additionally, since remote work can be done from anywhere, households are more likely to move for a woman’s job instead of a man’s, allowing women to look for more lucrative work where they see fit.

Remote work brings its own set of challenges to ill-equipped working dads

Another interesting factor in this trend is the effect of recessions on the percentage of stay-at-home dads. During an economic downturn, working men are more likely to become discouraged by unemployment and leave the labor force. Following recessions in 2008 and 2020, labor force participation rate data supports this conclusion, with the male participation rate falling about the same amount as the female participation rate rises. This follows a larger trend, where male and female participation rates are becoming more equal, representative of a shift in gender roles and supply-side labor demands.


Female Labor Force Participation rate rises rapidly post-COVID, despite sluggish improvements in the Male Labor Force Participation rates.


Comments

  1. Anusha GuptaFebruary 9, 2025 at 8:43 PM

    Jonathan,
    I really liked reading the data you used to accompany this blog post. I’m curious to know if the shift in increased women in the workforce and transition into women as the main breadmakers will ever have a significant impact on society. Will the perceived gender norms adapt with the times? It’s difficult to imagine a time when males will be less respected than females.

    ReplyDelete

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