Gender Flip: The Latest Trend

02/27/2003

Gender Flip: The Latest Trend

"Do not wait for ideal circumstances, nor the best opportunities; they will never come."
–Janet Erskine Stuart

GENDER FLIP: THE LATEST TREND

More men are now staying at home to mind the children. This may not be because that men think this is a good idea, but more a result of economics. According to a Wall Street Journal article (February 20, 2003) by Sue Shellenbarger, "As Moms Earn More, More Dads Stay At Home," the gap in wages between men and women in the US narrowed last year as women's average weekly pay increased by 3.9% and men's wages increased by only 1.9%. One result, reports Shellenbarger, is that..."women's growing economic clout will accelerate a seismic upheaval in family roles, with more frequent swapping of bread winning, parenting, and housekeeping duties."

According to Shellenbarger there are potential downsides to this "gender flip", and "plenty of advance planning and discussion, ongoing communication and marital trouble-shooting skills are needed to make it work." She reports that, while this swapping roles often works well, "the new economic reality is thrusting other couples too quickly into roles for which they are ill-suited by upbringing, temperament, or both, inflicting a kind of emotional whiplash." She concludes that "an axiom of family life is that mothers and fathers do best at the roles they prefer and have chosen."

For ideas on understanding the parent's perspective check out two provocative resources from Exchange: How Does It Feel? Child Care from a Parent's Perspective by Anne Stonehouse and Dragon Mom: Confessions of a Child Development Expert by Janet Gonzalez-Mena. To learn about these books click on: https://secure.ccie.com/catalog/cciecatalog.php?cPath=1

For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.