Dads don’t do playdates

Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that at-home dads report a high level of job satisfaction. A recent study by University of Texas psychology professor Aaron Rochlen—which was major news in the dadosphere—found that at-home fathers not only experienced a higher overall life satisfaction but were happier than they had been working full-time. Rochlen says it appears that fathers “are doing what makes them happy and determining what’s best for their families, rather than worrying about society’s expectations.” (The study did not reveal the satisfaction levels of their wives.)

Rochlen predicts that, for social and financial reasons, a greater proportion of fathers will opt to stay home in the years ahead. Already, the number of at-home dads jumped more than 60 percent nationwide between 2004 and 2006, he says. In 2006, the Census Bureau estimated there were about 159,000 stay-at-home dads in the United States, but experts say that figure understates the true number. Traditionally, many men don’t identify themselves as full-time parents if they bring in freelance income or consider themselves unemployed.