Do Dads Get All of The Fun? 

Written by Cara Barilla 

The traditional home life would normally consist of a man going off to work to gain the family income, whilst the mother would stay at home and work amid the household duties and utilising home support being “mum”. However,  amongst today’s ever so colourful and diverse society, we are vividly surrounded by one of the most progressive countries in the world, creating new generational boundaries within the home life.

More women in today’s Australian society work from home whilst still raising their children, thus sustaining a double income to break the financial burden. The male’s lifestyle isn’t necessarily tampered with although the standard has evidently risen. As everyone’s family household grows more, men under the age of 50 feel a financial burden and tend to work longer hours, the primary question is: do dads get all of the fun?  

In the circumstance of no routine alteration, the men don’t feel a change in that aspect. Although, it is increasingly more common that the father is taking paternity leave whilst the higher income earner can return to work. In today’s society, most women are returning to the workforce after they have taken maternity leave. Due to the increase demand for financial stability in families, mothers simply have no choice but to work to make ends meet. On top of that, they have assumed responsibilities in laundry, washing up and cleaning around the house.

The mother’s world always changes:  
In a situation of breastfeeding, many natural maternity routines can fall out of place due to work. Numerous women in today’s generation have admitted their Breastmilk has slowed down or even stopped due to “work related intrusions”, which may also lead to additional stress, post-natal depression, anxiety and guilt. Many housewives of today feel more pressure to fulfil “precision” in household duties as they no longer fulfil financial targets; trying to balance house cleaning each day, washing and ironing and on top of that, raise a child may include inconsistent sleeping patterns. This may result in physical and mental imbalance for many women. You could say that the average woman from each household is overworked to the point where they can’t find any downtime.

What about the dad’s feelings? 

Many men in 2017 have increased levels of stress, anxiety, depression and anger management issues. This may be due to home life, excessive changes in lack of personal leisure time (as many men may have to work overtime to fulfil financial goals) and the everlasting errands run for their partners; picking up groceries, baby medicine, baby related errands to bring home to the family. Evidently, the new term “PND” has been casually thrown to the opposite sex.

Does it get better than this? 

In times of dramatic change, today’s society has high expectations for the current mums and dads out there. It is important to balance your professional work, social life and well-being. Maintaining balance, sustaining a healthy diet and not confiding in abusive substances such as alcohol, cigarettes or other drugs is crucial at this stage.  

Using professional services such as a cleaner, nanny, financial planner, psychologist or counsellor every couple of months to assist in taking off the burden and create a healthy and steady home life. Stepping outside of the household every day is important for your mind’s wellness – it also allows you to release some tension from everyday life. 

Overall, it may look like from the outer surface that dads get all the fun, but in reality, they do work hard, especially when it comes to providing for the family. In a traditional world, dads are normally the breadwinners but it’s the norm now that mums can be too. Though mums are known to be the “serious” types and dads the “goofy” types, it’s important to remember that the roles can be reversed and sometimes, mums get all the fun too!