Millennial dad: who he is and his character

According to data obtained by the Pew Research Center, people who belong to the millennial group are those born in the 80s until towards the end of the 90s. Now, some of the millennials have played the role of parents. Not only millennial mothers, people also often wonder what kind of parenting for millennial fathers.

So, what are the characters that stand out from millennial fathers? What made them different from the fathers of the previous generation?

What is the character of a millennial father like?

Following the changing times, parents of course also have to adjust their upbringing for their children. Every father does have his own way of raising children, but the following are some of the most prominent characteristics that are found in millennial fathers.

1. A more equal division of child care duties

Usually, the role of mothers in domestic duties such as babysitting and other household chores is greater than that of fathers. However, it is different with millennial fathers. The role of millennial fathers tends to want to contribute more in matters of taking care of the daily needs of their children.

Millennial fathers are also more open with a fair distribution of household duties when compared to fathers in the previous generation.

Apart from replacing diapers, the type of homework that many millennial fathers also do is preparing food. Based on data from research in Canada, there was a percentage increase from 29% in 1986 to 59% in 2015 in terms of the contribution of fathers when preparing food for their children.

While mothers overall are still doing more work, millennial dads have also shown significant changes. It is evident that they spend 30 minutes longer in caring for the needs of children and households than previous generations.

2. Increasing numbers house husband

House husband is the name for fathers who live at home and do routine tasks like housewives.

According to data taken by the Pew Research Center, there is an increasing number house husband to nearly double from 1989 in 2012 in America.

This happened because of the Great Recession which was the biggest contributor to high unemployment. In addition, other causes, such as disease conditions or disabilities, are also a major factor for a father who does not work outside.

But among all these reasons, there are some fathers who choose to stay at home because they want to have a lot of time with their children or family.

Of all survey participants, 21% chose this reason. The number has increased quite significantly when compared to the 1989 data with only five percent choosing the same reason.

Sometimes, they find it difficult when it comes to balancing work and family responsibilities. Some people even admit that if they didn't have to work in the office, they would prefer to stay home and focus on raising children.

3. Millennial dads are more active on the internet and social media

Millennials certainly cannot stay away from the internet, including those who have become parents. There are many things parents do on the internet, including for the needs of their little one's growth and development.

One of the characteristics that stand out from millennials is their openness to new and different things. This pattern was also applied when they educated their children.

Not only mothers, millennial fathers also often seek various information about tips on caring for their little ones from various sources.

In addition, millennial fathers also often share moments with their children on social media. In fact, according to a survey, as many as 81% of millennial parents have at least shared photos of their children on social media.

4. Millennial fathers are more open to different parenting styles

Still related to the previous point, thanks to the internet, parents have more diverse resources to find ways to raise children.

In addition to sites that provide information about parenting, social media and messaging applications are often used as a forum for parents to gather and exchange parenting strategies when dealing with children's daily needs.

The more things they know, the more ways parents can do when one strategy is not enough to deal with certain situations. Millennial fathers and mothers are more flexible about the rules or parenting styles that will be given to children.

They realize that there are several ways that do not work for children, and vice versa. From here, the process of finding the best parenting style will make parents learn and get to know the children more closely.

Remember that there is no one right way to raise your little one. Both millennial fathers and fathers from previous generations have advantages and disadvantages.

The most important thing for parents is to always focus and try to give their children the love and education they need no matter what.