Stay-at-Home Dads Becoming More Commonplace

An interesting article came across my desk last week. The Columbus Dispatch did a piece on how stay-at-home dads are becoming more common. Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. estimates that there were 83% more stay-at-home dads in 2006 then there were in 1996. And, if money wasn’t an issue, studies have shown that more dads would consider staying at home with their children. CareerBuilder.com found the number of dads who would stay at home to be 37%, and Monster.com’s survey found this number was much higher—landing at 68%.

So what does this mean for the job seeker? With more working moms and more dads at home today, there’s more to consider when looking for the perfect job opportunity. SHRM (The Society of Human Resource Management) found that 57% of companies offer flex time, and 13% provide paid paternity leave.

When looking for jobs, it’s important to make note any policies your employer might offer—no matter who the family breadwinner may be. And as the article mentions, with the flux of Baby Boomers ready to retire, work-life balance policies such as these extra incentives geared towards both stay-at-home moms and dads will be needed to attract top talent.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on stay-at-home dads, as well as any flex incentives your company may offer.

Posted by Christy H.