Which families should be supported by good family policy? Too often, influencers on social media tell us we should pick one of two choices: families with a traditional homemaker/breadwinner division of labor or families with two working parents. Thus, debates over child care are often framed as choosing between supporting families where both parents work or ignoring those that choose to have mom or dad stay home. This binary is tired and false.
As researchers at an independent think tank, we recently released a report showing that the line between working parents and stay-at-home parents is both fuzzy and fluid. We also found that many stay-at-home parents need child care and most want it from trusted family, neighbors, or friends, but they face barriers to getting that care. By listening to parents and putting their varied needs at the center of policymaking, the government can and should find ways to support families making the decisions that work best for them.
Broadly, our research has found that stay-at-home parents are a far more mixed group than their caricatured portrayal in pop culture and on social media. The first wrong assumption is that stay-at-home parents engage in no paid work.
Elise Anderson is a Manager at Capita’s Family Policy Lab.
Ivana Greco and Elliot Haspel are Senior Fellows at Capita.
About the authors
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