In the early 1990s, many fathers would take a leave of absence for a year or two to attend college.
They would return to the job, and they would get to know their children, while their wives took on more of the parenting role.
But a couple of decades ago, as the economy began to recover, the number of fathers in the workplace began to decline.
Men in their 50s and 60s were leaving the workforce to become fathers, while women were opting for a more equal role.
What changed?
It was not that men in their 60s and 70s were going to be more likely to have children.
Rather, they were starting to retire.
And they had to start getting their jobs back.
“It’s not a matter of, ‘Oh, you’ve been working all this time, you can have a child,'” says Mark P. Miller, a professor of sociology at Northwestern University.
“I think they just weren’t having as many of them.”
Men who left the workforce for family reasons began to take on a different role.
“We’ve seen a significant increase in fathers leaving the work force,” says Miller.
They are now a significant portion of the working-age population, and while they have never been the dominant demographic, they are increasingly seen as a critical economic force.
It’s not that the working class is suddenly no longer interested in children.
The number of employed men in the U.S. is about a third lower than it was 10 years ago.
In recent decades, the baby boomers have become a key demographic.
But even in their prime, men still dominate the labor force.
“There is a large proportion of men who are still in the labor market, but there are some men who have decided to do something else,” says Michael J. Toth, an economist at George Mason University and author of the forthcoming book, The End of Men.
“And we don’t know what that something else is.”
The men who leave the workforce have to deal with the loss of their jobs.
They need to find another way to support themselves and their families.
The men are also more likely than women to leave their jobs to take a new career.
And those who remain are less likely to be in their 30s or 40s.
What can a father do?
While it’s not easy for men to leave the work place, a father can do a lot to keep his family afloat.
First, he can set aside time for his kids.
When a child is a teenager, it’s important to set aside some time for that child to be alone, to take in their own emotions and to be safe.
Miller suggests keeping kids in the house, even if it’s just for a few days a week.
Second, he might consider having an assistant to help him with his job.
When he has children of his own, a man can be more flexible.
“If I need to hire someone, I can hire someone,” he says.
“But if I need help with the kids, I’d have to have someone to help me.”
Third, he could consider finding a new job, such as a clerical or clerical-type job.
Miller recommends having a partner help him search for a new position, especially in the healthcare industry, which is increasingly crowded.
Miller has seen this trend with his own clients.
A few years ago, he had an assistant for one year.
Now, his assistant is gone.
He had a job interview for another job in three weeks.
“That was a real big shock,” he recalls.
“Now, I’m in a position where I can’t find someone else to do my job.”
If a man needs help with his child, he should call the Child Support Hotline at 1-800-823-5683, or visit www.freespeech.org.
You can also ask the National Center for Children and Families to help you.
You’ll get a list of resources to talk to about how to help a child.
But when you do that, it could be tempting to call your local social service agency, or the local child support agency.
“The people in the community have to take that into account, because it’s a social issue,” says Elizabeth W. Dube, director of the Center for Child Protection and Welfare.
In addition to finding a job, a parent might also consider the option of taking care of a child’s medical care.
A woman who is pregnant and seeking child support can talk to her local child-support agency.
A man who is in his 30s can talk with a local provider or call the national child-protection agency.
You could also consider having a family planning provider visit you or your partner to discuss the best way to get pregnant.
Miller says there are many ways to get help in the form of money or a phone call.
A good rule of thumb, he says, is to get