Will #AI send more dads to stay home with their kids?

In recent years we notice more and more mums achieving business success, while at the same time, more and more dads deciding to leave the workforce and stay home with the kids.

Is this a perception or a global tendency?

Below are some intriguing trends from USA, Sweden, UK and Poland.

Different countries have varying parental leave policies, which can affect how citizens balance their work and home responsibilities:

• In Poland, mothers can take 41 weeks of partially government-funded leave, while fathers can take up to 9 weeks.?
• In the UK, mothers can take up to 52 weeks of leave, with 39 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay, and an additional 18 weeks of unpaid leave.?
• In Sweden, mothers and fathers can take up to 480 days of fully paid leave, with each parent entitled to 240 days.?
• Unfortunately, the United States currently lacks a federal paid leave policy, but there are efforts to change this with President Biden's proposed American Families Plan.

When a child is born, parents are given certain options for the time off. However, what happens when it's time to return to work?

In the USA from 2019 to 2021, there was a 60% increase in stay-at-home parents. (Magnify Money) out of which 2.1 million were stay-at-home fathers (Pewe Research Center). A rise of 8% since 1989.

About 24% of dads say they chose to stay at home specifically to care for their children in comparison to 78% of moms (Pew Research).

Shall we dig further through the “dad data” and look into generations, then 6% of millennial dads stay at home with their children while only 3% of Generation X (Pew Research).

The UK has seen a 30% increase in activity after the pandemic, according to the Office for National Statistics. Additionally, the number of stay-at-home mothers has decreased by 11%. Presently, an estimated 1 in 9 fathers have become highly engaged in family life and have chosen to become "stay-at-home dads," compared to 1 in 14 three years ago.

In Sweden, new parents can share parental leave and receive 80% of their salaries from the government. However, fathers must spend two months alone with the baby or they will lose their pay and time off.

It is known as "daddy leave," and 85-90% of Swedish fathers now take it. More fathers take more time off for a new baby in?Sweden?than anywhere else in the world (according to ABC News)

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to acquire any reliable data regarding these figures for Poland. However, despite the availability of 2 weeks of paternal leave, only 1% of fathers utilize it. Furthermore, this percentage is consistently decreasing, from 3.9 thousand in 2020 to 3.7 thousand the following year. It is noteworthy that while fathers in other Eastern countries are becoming more involved in their children's lives, the numbers in Poland are declining.

Could one of the reasons be the scrutiny they are facing for their decisions, or maybe the expectations towards their role in society?

According to a 2017 study in the United States, 76% of men experienced significant pressure to work and support their families, while only 40% of women faced the same pressure. Conversely, 49% of men reported feeling pressure to be involved as parents, while a more significant 77% of women experienced similar pressure. (Sources: CNBC and Pewe)

Shall it be so, that the expectations from both genders seem to stick to the classical set-up, why would men even consider staying at home?

Reason 1. The Wall Street Journal has highlighted a decrease in school attendance in the US, with a 71% drop in college and university enrollments. This trend may result in more men struggling to find employment and being forced to stay at home while their more educated wives provide for the family. At the same time, more women are pursuing careers, creating opportunities for fathers to take on the role of caregiver at home.

Reason 2. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant shift in fathers' responsibilities towards childcare. With many working from home, fathers have taken on more household and childcare duties, finding the experience fulfilling. As a result, many fathers have decided to continue caring for their children either part-time or full-time post-pandemic.

Reason 3. In many European countries, the availability and cost of daycare often force parents out of the workforce. As a result, many parents find it more profitable to stay at home and care for their children than to continue in a low-paid job.

Reason 4. Advancements in technology have led to a decrease in typically male-dominated industries such as manufacturing, factory work, and construction. This has resulted in more men being available to stay at home and care for their children.

Reason 5. Finally, recent layoffs in the tech industry may have also contributed to more tech-savvy dads considering staying at home to care for their children.

Having written that, do you think that GPT and other AI tools will send more male IT professionals into stay-at-home parenting? ;)

Happy to hear your thoughts.?