These days many fathers stay at home and take care of their children while mothers go out to work. What could be the reason for this? Do you think it is a positive or a negative development?

Thanks to widespread women’s rights movements, more and more women have become the breadwinners for their family while their husbands stay at home looking after the kids. In my opinion, this is the result of an extreme, yet naïve ideology that has created an imbalance in many families. Organised groups which call for absolute equality between men and women are often shallow minded. Many such groups make illogical demands such as giving both couples exactly equal and reversible rights and responsibilities. In theory, this sounds fair and square. However, when you look at the details, it is not hard to see that this arrangement paralyzes both men and women by reversing their natural roles. Improper allocation of roles puts exceedingly high pressure on women, and renders men’s roles rather ineffective. When women are the primary breadwinners for the family, they cannot afford to take long maternity leaves. Not only because such holidays may be unpaid, but also because they need to progress in their jobs to support their expanding family. It is a well-known fact that mothers develop better bonds with new born babies. In addition, babies need to be breastfed multiple times during the day. This will not be possible if the mother has a demanding job that requires her to be away from the child for long hours. Therefore, it is counter-productive for the father to be the main caretaker. That said, it is indeed productive for the man to help with raising kids. The woman should also work to secure the financial future of the family. In short, it is plausible for partners to share their domestic responsibilities, but an arrangement where mothers earn a living and fathers stay at home is way too extreme.