└[초급]영자신문읽기 영어초보자를 위한 영자신문 읽고, 이제 영어로 세상을 만나보세요!
[초급] 영자신문 읽기
Dads at Home
Culture, religion, and other major aspects of society dictate a set of attitudes and manners of self-representation that are acceptable for a man. A father is expected to be the head of his family. He should be the protector of his wife and children, and he should provide for the needs of the family. Fathers are also expected to show toughness and self-reliance as these qualities are associated with masculinity. Additionally, they need to have jobs and prospering careers because they need to earn enough for their family members to live comfortable lives.
For quite some time, traditional roles of men, especially of fathers, have been respected and followed by people. However, recently, trends that deviate from societal norms grew, and among these trends is the increase in number of stay-at-home dads. These fathers are the main caregivers of their children at home and are the homemakers of the household because of different reasons, but the main one is to allow their wives to become full-time workers.
The trend of stay-at-home dads started in the 20th century. Prior to this, it was mostly men who had jobs that would allow them to become the breadwinners of the family while women stay at home. It was during the turn of the century that women became more integral parts of the professional world, hence altering traditional family and parenting styles. Some men gave way for their wives to build their careers even if it means that these men would need to take over untraditional roles like doing household chores.
There are currently over 2 million stay-at-home dads in the U.S. alone. The number may not be as high in conservative and traditional countries, but the concept of husbands and wives who switch roles in families is now being welcomed.
Experts say that although society may seem open-minded about and accepting of the trend, these fathers still become victims of stereotypes and harsh judgments. Among the struggles of stay-at-home dads is dealing with the idea of emasculation or the feeling that males are less of a man because they do not provide for their families, and they have to do feminine roles.
Another problem these dads encounter is getting negative feedback from society despite working hard to take care of their families well. Some stay-at-home dads say no matter how much times have changed, traditional roles still prevail in society. However, they are optimistic that in the near future, society will become more accepting of their special situations.
1. What are the traditional roles of fathers?
2. What is the main reason behind fathers taking over the roles of their wives in the family?
3. What are examples of problems that stay-at-home dads encounter?
self-reliance 자기 의존/
deviate 벗어나다/
homemaker 주부/
breadwinner 생계를 꾸리는 사람/
chore 일/
harsh 가혹한/
prevail 만연하다/