It’s Hard Being A Dad

A new study discussed by Pew Research Center for the People & the Press reports that many dads are having a bad time.

A whopping 59% of dads say that it’s harder to be a dad now than it was 20 or 30 years ago. While another 26% says that it’s pretty much the same.

Only 12% of dads feel like it’s easier to be a dad today.

The oddball part of this study was that a majority of mothers say that dads are doing a better job when it comes to raising kids, cleaning, and helping out around the house.

However, the majority of dads reported just the opposite — siting dads today as worse with kids and home tasks than dads 20 or 30 years ago.

Why do dads today feel worse about themselves today? Well, dads today are doing more. I know that when I have more to do it can feel more stressful and then I end up feeling like I’m doing a bad job. I’m thinking that’s what going on with dads today. Sure they’re doing more — but have they adjusted to the routine.

Still, how long have moms been doing the bulk of the work on the home front and holding down jobs. Studies continually show that even when a mother works as many hours as a father, she still does the majority of the household chores as well. Additionally, it’s not just household stuff moms do more of. Children sited in this same study, report overwhelmingly that they had more contact with, and felt closer to their mom vs. their dad.

The above information is why it’s hard to be too sympathetic towards the plight of upset dads. Don’t get me wrong; I’m happy to see that dads are stepping up. But part of me wants to say, “So you do more chores and childcare now, buck up already.”

I’m not trying to rag on the dads; it must be tired me talking. Guess who works full-time and does the majority of the work at my house?

What about at your house? Is there an honest 50/50 split where work, chores, and childcare tasks are concerned?