How Do Today’s Dads Differ From Prior Generations?
How Do Today’s Dads Differ From Prior Generations?
Ryan Howard Last Update: December 17, 2020
If you’ve ever watched a sitcom from the 80s, you wouldn’t be faulted for thinking that the only thing dads back then did was drink beer and crack wise after a hard day’s work. The concept of fatherhood, however, has changed dramatically since then, and new dads these days are far more involved in the lives of their children.
Gender roles are breaking down at breakneck speeds, and dads these days are more than willing to rise to the challenge. We examine these many changes in this article and discuss how dads these days differ from prior generations.
In It, Right From The Get-Go
A recent study by Cornell University highlighted the fact that fathers who take longer paternal leave tend to be more involved and engaged in the lives of their children. This type of data particularly highlights the difference between dads from different generations.
It would have been quite a strange request for dads in the 50s and 60s even to consider taking paternity leave, let alone to think about how deeply it would help them engage with their children. Parenting, especially for fathers, has changed from being a hands-free experience to a hands-on experience over the years.
Fathers previously would not be seen anywhere near the birthing room floor. Instead, they would be in the waiting room, quite literally waiting for the good news from the nurse or doctor.
The Lamaze technique only came up during the 1950s, and it wasn’t adopted by both genders whole-heartedly until the 60s and 70s because it required fathers to be a lot more involved in the birthing process.
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