These aren’t your father’s fathers.
According to recent Yahoo research, millennial dads view their parental roles differently than those from previous generations. “The New Face of Fatherhood” report shows that Generation Y fathers are more emotionally and technologically connected than ever before.
Three key factors driving this new face of fatherhood include the mancession, gender role mash-up, and a new value system.
The mancession: The recession bore a significant spike in the number of stay-at-home dads, which led to extreme shifts within the family dynamic. Men are now embracing this role, as 70% of stay-at-home dads do so by choice.
Gender role mash-up: Today’s dads also take a more egalitarian approach to household duties and childcare. They like to divide responsibilities based on what makes the most sense for the family—as opposed to adhering to traditional gender roles. When compared to Gen X fathers, Gen Y dads are particularly active:
- 26% more likely to drive kids to activities;
- 77% more likely to dress their kids;
- 45% more likely to bathe their kids.
A new value system: Gen Y dads want to be more emotionally involved—often citing a desire to be more of an influence in their children’s lives than their own fathers were in theirs. Indeed:
- 74% of dads today spend more time with their kids than their own fathers did with them;
- 44% believe they still don’t spend enough time with their kids;
- Almost all (94%) dads engage in online activities with their children;
- When engaging with parenting-related content, 48% of dads prefer video, which is handy when learning how to do things like install a car seat.
One more factor driving the change in fatherhood is fathers playing a more active role in household purchasing decisions, which, in turn, leads to a rise in their expectations from brands. More than half of dads are active in all shopping decisions made in the household, including groceries (84%), child and baby care products (68%), and children’s apparel (64%).
