We also explore racial stereotypes and find evidence that suggests Black Men’s strong role as fathers and carers, and how black fathers cope. with particularly difficult barriers to participation in care.
There has long been a false cultural narrative about black fathers, even though data shows they are among the most active parents of any race or ethnic group. What we found reinforces this real pattern: there were no differences in fathers’ contributions or attitudes to care based on race or ethnicity.
Similar to their counterparts, black fathers and male caregivers value care as much as paid work. They also argue that men should share care equally with women, and they say being attached fathers and carers is important to their identity.
Our survey also shows that more Black fathers than White fathers believe that it is important to them to feed, dress, and care for young children. We also find that black fathers and male caregivers often face higher barriers to care, due to structural racism, discrimination in the workplace. employment and the system of mass detention.
All men, of race and ethnicity, are expected to need time off work to provide care. 3 out of 10 predict that 3 in 10 will need time off to care for a newborn, and almost half of men expect they will need time to care for an adult — again, the same percentage women.
This is where structural racism comes into play. As we mentioned before, the United States does not have a nationally paid medical and family leave policy. Only a handful of states mandate this benefit, and companies voluntarily cover only about 20% of the workforce, mostly white-collar and large corporations. We found that a similar percentage of Black and White fathers used savings to cover expenses related to their recent layoffs — paid or unpaid. However, twice as many Black fathers (30%) as white (15%) used the savings they set aside for health needs to take time off from work. This shows real barriers to care that disproportionately burden black fathers.
Visualize a new way
This research builds on exploring the perspectives and experiences of many caregivers. The team focused heavily on issues of gender equality, roles and balance. And yet, many of us were surprised by what we heard from survey respondents. It just goes to show that this field of social science is a rich one, with a lot of stones still untapped.
The attitudes and norms of breadwinners and housewives that were mainstream a generation ago clearly no longer apply today, and more broadly, many of the assumptions and expectations that leaders use The tools used to make decisions and design policy are often built on a false foundation of stereotypes that have never really been true for many people in America in the first place. Get an accurate picture of how gender shapes care and care in the home and in the care economy, and understand the motivations, goals, and barriers that people entering these roles experience. past, are essential foundations for creating the necessary new policies, workplace practices and cultural norms that will lead to a stronger, healthier and more equitable future.
Learn more about how men view their caregiving experiences and discover the many benefits of supporting a male carer.
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