Three years ago, I stepped away from my dream job, writing the Wealth Matters column in The New York Times, with an idea to start a media, community and workplace education company aimed at Lead Dads – those men who are the go-to parent at home, supporters of their spouses’ ambitions and advocates for Working Moms in the office. The Company of Dads was born.
Today The Wall Street Journal wrote a fantastic and important piece about the growing number of Lead Dads supporting their wives who work in finance. I was so happy to see Lead Dads and their Working Mom spouses talking openly and publicly about how they make this dynamic work. (I was also thrilled to be quoted talking about how far these pairings have come and what we still need to consider.)
There is still a lot of stigma behind this setup. (There was one anonymous quote from a Lead Dad about what it’s been like – so either he didn’t feel comfortable being identified publicly or his wife’s firm squashed their participation.) This story will go a long way to moving us forward.
By the numbers, we estimate 25 million men in the U.S. are Lead Dads – that’s a third of all fathers and the growth is being driven by couples in their 20s and 30s. Beyond that we know that in 83 percent of married heterosexual couples both people work. Managing home and work is complicated. We’re here to help families fulfill their full potential wherever they are, and we’re grateful for the many forward-thinking companies that have already brought us in to speak.
It’s crucial to adjust the way companies talk about parental leave and the ongoing parenting and care commitments as kids grow up. Understanding this changing dynamic is going to be crucial for companies to retain and promote key employees, whether men or women, dads, moms or caregivers more broadly.
This is not about creating the most whizbang HR plan the world has ever seen; it’s about training managers and employees so the plan you already have is messaged properly. It only takes a few offhand comments from managers stuck in the past to set a company back – and send key employees to a competitor.
Please give the WSJ piece a read and let me know your thoughts.
