Stay-at-home dads rise by a third since pre-pandemic
The number of full-time stay-at-home dads in the UK has leapt by a third since before the pandemic, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics, compiled by The Guardian.
The data shows that one in nine full-time stay-at-home parents are fathers, up from one in 14 in 2019. Between July and September 2022, 141,000 dads did not have a paid job and stayed at home, compared with 105,000 fathers during the same period in 2019.
The increase seems to be part of a wider shift towards greater involvement in hands-on caregiving by fathers since pre-pandemic, as highlighted in our Closing the Gap and Lockdown Fathers: the untold story reports.
The Guardian reported the shift in a front-page news story on Christmas Day, and it was later picked up by other newspapers. We also wrote a blog on the subject for The Guardian (published on 2 January).
We have created a briefing exploring and contextualising the latest data – and including comments from stay-at-home fathers who shared their experiences in response to the media coverage. You can download this below.
Tags: Gender equality, Homedads, Lockdown fathers, Stay-at-home dads
