The media has a reputation for being negative. Take a look at this story on stay-at-home dads from the Calgary Herald as a prime example. On the surface it comes across as a good note on the growing trend on SAHDs and the challenges we face. Ultimately I think it ends up being one, if you can get through all the pessimism in the first half of the story.

There are some thought-provoking and interesting facts in there, albeit really scary.


A U.S. study from a few years ago that says men who stayed home have an 82% higher 10-year death rate than those who work outside of the home; and another from England revealing that marriages with an at-home dad have a detrimental effect on half of those relationships. Then there is the bit that isn?t fact at all but rather assumption with a sprinkle of reality: in Newfoundland 25% of stay-at-home parents are dads, but many probably would rather be working.

There is no doubt stay-at-home dads have obstacles to conquer, and the points brought up in this story are definitely topics for SAHDs and their families to think about and work on. They should be included in the piece. Too bad stories of dads working to overcome them weren?t mixed in earlier.

What should have been the focus of the story was what Alberta public health councilor Anjan Raymond-Bhatt provided. He studied SAHDs for his masters degree and says the negative aspects at-home dads face are the growing pains of social change.

"(Even) when something has been studied and in the research it's shown to be good, it takes some time for people to understand all that," he tells the paper. That?s an intriguing thought. Hopefully any prospective, or current, stay-at-home dads didn?t run away in fear before getting to it.