A Picture Of The Modern Day Father Figure - 2349 Words

Mikell Gentry Laura Godfrey English 102-41 December 7, 2014 A Picture of the Modern Day Father Figure . The quintessential Father figure of the early 20th century was characterized by being the main breadwinner and disciplinarian of the family. Although he viewed himself as a role model, he had very little involvement in the nurturing and caregiving of his children. However, as soon as this idea about the role of the father became the norm, it was already undergoing an immense amount of change. With the growing acceptance of feminist ideals, gender roles have become more neutral, and economic trends have brought higher levels of financial equality to woman over the years. Subsequently, contemporary parenting has begun to redefine the†¦show more content†¦In the recent Pew Research Center study, Growing Number of Dads Home with the Kids: Biggest increase among those caring for family, Author Gretchen Livingston claims that the main reason why many fathers stay at home with their children is either due to disability or unemployment, yet the fastest growing category of stay -at-home dads, increasing four fold since 1989, are dads who choose to stay home to take care of home and family (6). The Pew report statistics give a clear picture of how family dynamics have shifted in recent years, but it still leaves the question: why are more fathers choosing to take on the role of caregiver, rather than the more traditional role of breadwinner as did fathers in past generations? Like most sociological questions of this nature, the answer is complex. According to the academic journal â€Å"I Feel Like a Rock Star†: Fatherhood for Stay-at-Home Fathers by Catherine Richards Solomon, two of the main reasons fathers are choosing to stay home with their children these days include: their wives having higher earning potential, and the couples belief that one parent staying at home with the child plays a crucial role in the well-being of the family (7-8). While all of the parents in Solomon’s study valued the idea of one parent staying home, they held no distinction about what sex makes a better caregiver (Solomon, 9). Solomon herself writes â€Å"Although for