Counting the Number of Stay at Home Dads
Did you know there are more Stay at Home Dads out there than reported? That’s right, it is more common than one would think these days to be a dad staying home full time with the kiddos. I know we are currently in the year 2006, but in 2004 Rebel Dad posted how the government determines and counts who falls under the official Stay at Home Dad status. As far as I know they still exclude the following dads from the SAHD status:
* Any dad who has made any money in the previous 52 weeks.
–> Shift workers
–> Part-time or temporary workers
* Any dad who has done the job less than 52 weeks.
* Any dad who has looked for work at all in the previous year.
* Single fathers (the stats look only at married family groups)
* Gay fathers
* Any dad who lies about why he’s out of the labor force (only dads who say they’re caring for family are counted. Embarrassed fathers who give another answer — like part-time schooling — are out)
* unmarried fathers
* And any dad whose wife was “out of the labor force” for as much as a single week. This could include women who are *on maternity leave*, which cuts out 60 percent of otherwise-meeting-the-definition at-home dads.
So let’s sum this up. I was not a Stay at Home Dad until I had been doing it for at least one year. If your spouse has left you or if your spouse is deceased, even though you stay home with the kids then you are not a SAHD. The stats only look at married couples, so if you marry out of wedlock or are gay, then you are not a SAHD. If you decide to lie about who you are then I understand you can’t get counted accurately. I would only say SAHDs should NOT lie about what they do.
But what does this tell us even today? Even though you may not be counted as a Stay at Home Father, it doesn’t mean you aren’t doing the job. In turn, it means there are just a lot more dads out there who are staying home right now than one would be led to believe.
Tags: census, Dad, father, government, job, SAHD, status, Stay at Home Dads, stay-at-home-fatherRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Dad Resources, Stay at Home Dads
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