Dads often live in a world of the office, business, and a professional zone. A child has to wait for his father to be home. There is a gap in the emotional landscape between them. Take a moment to think, how many fathers are staying home?

Moms are always entitled to stay home and become homemakers. The homemaking department has been a gender-stereotypical idea for a very long time. Even the children seem to be more attached to their moms because she is the one who is around them quite often. However, in the era we are now, it is high time we start going beyond the stereotype. We need more stay-home fathers!!

We can alter the perception of masculinity set by society. And it is okay if fathers decide to stay home and take care of household responsibilities. You don't need to quit your job. You can still manage to work from home or even do part-time jobs. We talked with a few people to know their opinions on fathers staying home.

"Society won't let us stay home. Sometimes, I don't get enough time with my children. Honestly, I don't think I know my child's favourite food or how he is doing at school properly."- Basanta Lawati.

"No, I can't be handling all the responsibilities. Staying home is so feminine, and we raise males to be going out to work."- Kumar Shrestha.

"I don't know if my ego or my parent's taunt that doesn't allow me to become a stay-home father. We live in a society where Fathers are supposed to work and earn money rather than staying home managing finances."- Dinesh Ghimire.

"In school, everybody asks me about my father's occupation. I sometimes do feel uncomfortable saying he stays home and does nothing. Everyone's father is always out and earning lots of money."- Tisa Amatya.

From the conversation, I think we conclude that regardless of fathers wanting to stay home, society is there to force them to go out. How many years will it take to alter the concept of homemakers? Nobody knows, but we shall see.

Challenges:

  • Stereotypes:

Society judges stay at home fathers for being lazy. Is managing the house and taking care of children a lazy person's work? We live in a society where patriarchy rules over, and fathers are never allowed to spend full time with children.

  • Lack of support:

We often get negative comments or responses from people or grandparents. The lack of support from loved ones is such a disappointment. They have high expectations, whether it be culturally or financially. The decision to stay a home dad is never approved. 

  • Isolation:

If stay-home fathers don't spend time with neighbours or participate in any societal activities, it might make them feel isolated. Even the parent meeting has mother majorly, which might make fathers feel uncomfortable attending such programs. Dealing with isolation may lead to depression or any mental health issues.

  • Financial issue:

If only one person is earning in the family, financial issue is obvious. Before deciding on staying home, people should consider the management of finance. Most of them opt for part-time jobs and work from home, which helps a little. 

 

Benefits:

  • Time with children:

Stay-home fathers will get more updates on their children's progress. How they are doing in school, in games, and overall hobbies, is very important for parents. They can build more connections and attachments with their children.

  • Redefining social norms:

Social norms have strong roots in our society. However, stay-home fathers might be a way to alter people's mentality. They are not just bystanders needed in an emergency but a crucial half for the upbringing of children. 

  • A strong relationship with a partner:

Having both of them understand what it takes to be a stay-home parent, there will be an immense understanding between partners. They will have more open communication and support from each other. They can appreciate each other more and find ways to deal with any kinds of problems together. They will be taking responsibility for their children leading to better partnerships.

 

Household management is not a simple task. There are so many things going on at home, and being responsible for managing them comes with hurdles. In the patriarchal practice, fathers are enrolled outside for work. They are just taken as bystanders to be helping with finance. Children are often emotionally distant from their fathers. Taking on a vacation and spending a few days is not enough to know all the rapid changes in their behaviours. We need fathers at stay-home to spend time with and learn a lot from them.