Stay-at-home dads climb due to sputtering economy

This job emergency may cause at least one good thing to happen. BBB

Stay-at-home dads climb due to sputtering economy
Sunday, December 11, 2011
By Joel Stonington, Bloomberg News

NEW YORK -- Jeff VanderHeijden didn't expect to be a stay-at-home father for his 3-year-old daughter, especially after getting a raise and promotion as a counselor last year at a residential program for troubled teenagers. Two weeks later, he was fired.

That's when Mr. VanderHeijden, 35, of Carlisle, Pa., joined the growing ranks of U.S. men spending more time caring for a child. One-third of fathers with working wives are now a regular source of care for their children, the result of the depressed economy and large numbers of out-of-work men, according to the Census Bureau.

"Certain projects like refinishing the basement kind of had to go on hold, but it really pays off in the long run," said Mr. VanderHeijden, whose wife works as a teacher. "You can't put a price on a father-daughter relationship."

The number of dads regularly caring for children under age 15 increased to 32 percent in 2010 from 26 percent in 2002. Among those fathers with preschool-age children, one in five served as the primary caregiver, meaning adults such as Mr. VanderHeijden who spend the most time with their child, the census found.

The recession has increased the number of fathers with an active role in child care, a trend that has been growing since at least 1988, said Lynda Laughlin, a family demographer at the Census Bureau.

"The economy hasn't completely rebounded, particularly for men," she said. "What did they label it, a 'mancession?' "

The economic downturn initially had a greater effect on men than women, with males losing more net jobs between December 2007 and May 2011, according to a July report from the Pew Research Center. Men have regained jobs more quickly in the recovery, the Pew study found.

During recessions, fathers spend more time as partial and primary caregivers of children, Ms. Laughlin said, partly because unemployment or changes in work hours increase their availability. "It also can reduce available income to pay for child care outside of the home," she said.

The recession isn't the only reason. Women are increasingly contributing more to family income than men, and there is a growing desire among men to take part in the lives of their children, according to Ellen Galinsky, president and co-founder of the New York City-based Families and Work Institute.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11345/1196139-84.stm#ixzz1gFbCvJrk