In the run-up to the 2024 election, support for parents is a hot topic. Both major presidential candidates have pledged to expand the child tax credit. The Kamala Harris campaign in particular appears to back paid child care and paid parental leave, reflecting a commitment to the broader “care economy.”
Parents are desperately looking for support, and regardless of who wins the presidential race, it appears some measure of relief is coming. Yet most national conversations about parental support leave out one critical group: stay-at-home moms and dads. This is a serious failure. Policymakers should know that the “Real Housewives and Househusbands” of America look little like Instagram influencers or so-called “tradwives.” Indeed, there should be a bipartisan consensus that as policymakers consider how to support America’s families, any solutions should include the moms and dads “on the home front” who provide full-time care to their kids.
Stay-at-home parents provide a significant percentage of America’s child care. According to the U.S. Department of Education, in 2019, 41 percent of our children five and under (not yet in kindergarten) were primarily cared for at home by a parent, rising to 58 percent for babies under one year old. Surveys show that the most popular choice for families with children is caring for young kids at home.