- As perceptions of the stay-at-home parent change, only 10% said they wouldn’t become a stay-at-home parent due to the stigma.
- Roughly three-quarters of working parents (men and women) would like to continue working remotely in some capacity.
- According to the ONS, 46.6% of the UK workforce were working from home in April 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic, compared to 11% in 2018.
Financial services company Legal & General commissioned a survey that asked 1,000 UK parents of all ages and backgrounds to find out what their views were on stay-at-home mums and dads. Lockdown measures have meant that parents have been spending more time at home than they ever expected. The need to juggle working from home and childcare has been largely accepted as the new normal, but could this phenomenon signal a new stay-at-home parenting trend? Whatever the future may bring, work from home parenting could be the hybrid model that’s here to stay.
We also saw some regional variation in attitudes towards working from home as a parent:
- Parents in the South East are the keenest to get back to their workplace, with 14% saying they would like to return to the office/workplace.
- 33% of people in Sheffield would like to continue working from home full time.
Perceptions of parenthood have changed dramatically over the years, and while the numbers of stay-at-home parents have declined for decades due to a combination of high living costs, changing attitudes, the remote working revolution may lead to new, healthier approaches to balancing work commitments and raising children.
Leeds-based marketing manager, Sophie Hazan, mother-of-one, said: "Raising children to become responsible and balanced individuals is one of the toughest jobs out there, so pre-pandemic I already had the fullest respect for stay-at-home parents, who, let's not forget, don't all choose to not work. The biggest change for me has been in learning the real value of remote working. During the pandemic we've shown that working from home is not only possible, but an effective tool that allows employees to be productive in the virtual office, and more engaged as a family member. It might even help those non-working parents, who would like to get back into the workplace, actually do it."
Jonathan Brown, a senior content editor at a digital marketing agency and father of three said: “With both partners now seeing the reality of day to day parenting, whether that was home schooling or just the non-stop demands of looking after children and keeping a house clean, it's become clear how important and difficult being a stay at home parent can be. With the home now being an office, school, playroom and relaxing area, keeping it running is hugely important.”
Grant Woodward, a digital marketer and father of two said: “As a working parent, lockdown really brought home the heavy workload of stay-at-home parents. There are lots of positives connected to being with your children all day, but also plenty of challenges. Having that responsibility for so much on a day-to-day basis really is a full-time job – and a tough one at that.”
Photo from Depositphotos is provided by Crello
