Today’s fathers more engaged than ever, researchers say
Defying the outdated image of absent fathers, today’s dads are more visible than ever, both in sheer numbers and in domestic life.
Whether biological, adoptive or step, fathers recently reached a record 8.6 million in Canada. They’re also a stronger presence at home, with Statistics Canada reporting that dads are logging more time with their kids, doing a greater share of housework, and engaging in family life like never before.
In other words, the tie you bought for Father’s Day might not cut it.
Edmonton’s Chris Griffin, a working stay-at-home dad, is among the torchbearers of this new model of fatherhood. A typical day for the 34-year old includes laundry, cooking, cleaning, getting his spouse and oldest daughter to and from work and school, looking after his youngest daughter, and managing the business operations of a dance company founded by his wife.
“At first, it was hard to adjust, going from working every day and generating income to not feeling like I was supporting the family,” said Griffin, who was previously employed as an equipment manager. “It was mostly ego, I think, and fear. … But once I got over that and found ways I could feel fulfilled at home, (being the primary caregiver) improved my life a lot.”
In 2011, the most recent year for which there are national statistics, the number of dads with dependant children under their roof topped 3.8 million, while the overall father-count was upward of 8,611,000, an increase from 8.1 million in 2006. Statistics Canada spokesman Felix Fortin tells Postmedia News that, “to our knowledge, 8.6 million is the highest number of fathers Canada has ever seen,” though the agency has yet to analyze the reasons for that rise.
Single dads also ballooned in presence, coming to represent more than one in five lone-parent homes. Growth of single-parent families was more than twice as strong between 2006 and 2011 for men than for women: 16.2 per cent versus six per cent.
Then there’s the evolution of fathers’ domestic participation: Three in 10 dads now take parental leave; 81 per cent of men do housework, compared with 77 per cent in 2005; and 379 minutes per day, on average, is spent with family — up from 345 minutes in 2005.
“There’s no question that fathers are more engaged with their children than they have been in the past,” said Kerry Daly, co-founder of the Centre for Families, Work and Well-being at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ont.
He adds, however, that “we have to be really careful” not to demonize previous generations of dads, who were operating under their own unique set of circumstances.
“They, too, were loving fathers,” said Daly. “But what we’re seeing now is a much more elaborate dance between moms and dads … The worklife balance has become more complicated.”
Kate Schutz, a 35-year-old artist from Calgary, thinks her dad, Robert, did a fantastic job by any generation’s standard.
“He was willing to do whatever it took to raise happy, healthy kids,” said Schutz, whose father stayed home with her as a baby, working nights so her mom could go back to school. “He really was ahead of his time.”
Robert, now 60 and living in Edmonton, fondly remembers that time with Kate as one of “growing up together.”
“I used to take her to swimming lessons where there’d be me and 15 mothers, but I didn’t feel uncomfortable because I had a good friend with me: my daughter,” he said warmly. “Sometimes it was trying, but it was well worth it … Like they say here in Alberta, you’ve got to git’ r done.”