My research team tells me that FPI has indeed detected a rise, but not a leap, in fathers who consider themselves to be their child's primary carer. At 600,000 fathers, this equates to 6 per cent of fathers as primary carers. So while this is welcome news, we still have a long way to go before we achieve a genuine cultural change that allows couples to make free decisions about how to divide and share the roles of work and childcare.
Many fathers want to be more involved with their children, and we know that hands-on parenting from both mum and dad yields significant benefits for children. Yet traditional and cliched views on who should earn a crust and who should rock the baby still linger. Movies and TV sitcoms still delight in depicting men as naturally clumsy, out of their depth and ill-suited when it comes to caring for babies and children. Such portrayals aren't helpful for those fathers who decide to take up the tough but rewarding challenge of staying home with the kids.
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