Bain: Househusbands relatively satisfied with careerchoice

21 November 2013 Consultancy.uk

By the beginning of this week it was 'International Men's Day' . Because of this men's day, advisory firm Bain & Company together with JUMP investigated how men that engage in more household activities than their wives feel. And these are the findings: househusbands are relatively satisfied with the choice for letting their wifes pursue a career.

Nowadays, half of women aged between 25 and 34 have a degree in higher education. Because of this, it happens more and more often that men put their careers on hold in supporting support their wives’ careers.

To gain insight in how men felt about this, in Belgium, Bain & Company and Jump questioned 150 men and women, with the men being primarily responsible for the household activities in the family. According to this questionnaire, families that choose the fathers for being responsible for household activities do so in order for the mothers to broaden their careers. But also because men like to spend more time with their families.

Bain Mannendag-2013-1

Half of all questioned householdhusbands have been primarily responsible for household activities for a longer amount of time. They perceive their role in the family as a long-term duty. Even though less than one-third (30%) has doubts about choices they made, the majority of housefathers is nevertheless satisfied with their choice.

Huismannen tevedenheid

Less social contact

Apart from all the positive experiences housefathers have, some inconveniences are present as well. For example, the householdbudget is partly jeopardized because of two wage earners not being present. Also some men feel socially isolated as soon as they choose to become a householdhusband. Furthermore, according to the housefathers, there is not enough flexibility given by employers when deciding to become a householdhusband. For instance, it would be a good attempt when the government would revise paternity leave.

* In the meantime the International Women’s Day is a well-known phenomenon while not everybody is aware of mens’ celebration to that same extent. International Men’s Day was inaugurated in Trinidad and Tobago in 1999 and is annually celebrated ever since. On this special day, the focus is on men and a positive representation of men is emphasized. Internationally, over 60 countries are included in this intitiative.