4. Dads only want to be stay-at-home caregivers because they think it’s an easy job. Not only is this untrue, it’s a trope that is insulting to everybody. It insults the mother by implying she’s married to a man who is ignorant, it insults the father by implying that he is ignorant, and it insults the children by implying that taking care of them is either perpetually easy or difficult, with no in-between. Being a stay-at-home parent is often a grueling, thankless, and emotionally draining job. Implying that dads are so dumb that they think that work is only work if you get a paycheck is unnecessary ignorance that needn’t survive in this day and age.
3. Dads are perpetually messy and unable to do housework. Again going back to the sexist stereotype that a woman’s place is in the home, this implies that women are inherently superstars when it comes to housework and men are hapless losers who don’t even know to separate whites and colors or how to change a diaper. Though I have met couples who fit that bill, I have met more couples who shared in the housework despite whether one or both of them had jobs already.
2. Dads who stay at home while their wives bring home the paycheck are weak. I can’t believe that in a time where just as many women choose to have careers, it’s still considered to be anything but normal when a dad decides to stay home and be the primary caregiver while the wife supports the household financially. It’s a lose-lose for both halves of the couple because the woman gets deemed an uncaring mother and the father a spineless pushover. It’s not considered as taboo if both parents work and leave the kids in the aid of a nanny, but a parent choosing to be the one to raise his or her own children is apparently fodder for gossip.
1. Dads aren’t emotional or can’t/won’t express their feelings. This isn’t just a stereotype that is restricted to fathers, but generally to all men. Stock male characters, especially those who happen to be fathers, are often shown to be hyper-reserved when it comes to emotions. They won’t cry, and they won’t hug or kiss their kids in public. They sometimes have trouble just telling their kids they love them. This idea that dads are (or should be) “masculine,” and thus should be stoic creatures, is a stereotype that needs to change for all men. We need to stop teaching males that they need to “man up” and not show emotion, and we need to stop teaching them that showing emotion is a sign of femininity and, worse that femininity is something bad.
