Stay-At-Home Dads Have Increased, But Only 23% Are Staying Home For The Kids

ZenSaBi/E+/Getty ImagesBy most measures, things are getting better in the United States when it comes to division of labor at home, the mental load, and childcare — even if the change seems slow and even though things are still not equal. Recent numbers from Pew Research shows that, for example, the number of stay-at-home dads in the country have skyrocketed from 11% in 1989 to 18% in 2023 — a significant increase over just 30 years. But a closer look at the numbers tells a more complicated story. While 80% of stay-at-home mothers are at home because they are taking care of their kids and thei