DATA STORY | 39% of Indians stigmatise stay-at-home fathers

About 39 percent of Indians view a father who stays at home to look after his children as "less of a man", according to a survey conducted by Ipsos MORI.

India ranked second after South Korea on the survey, which was carried out in 27 nations and the question was posed to 500-1,000 participants in each country.

(Image: Statista)

Overall, 75 percent of respondents disagreed with the statement, saying that being a full-time father does not emasculate a man.

This highlights that people think men should be actively involved in childcare, which is traditionally considered a woman’s domain.

People from Netherlands, Serbia, and Colombia were most likely to disagree that fathers involved in childcare were lesser men, the report said.

Respondents aged below 35 were more likely to agree with the statement than those aged between 50 and 64. Men were more likely than women to agree with the statement.

Close to 73 percent also felt that employers should make it easier for men to balance childcare and work.

Around 48 percent of the survey’s participants are of the opinion that not enough is being done to achieve equality between men and women in terms of childcare. In India, most respondents think enough is being in this area, with only 12 percent saying enough isn’t being done.

Only 39 percent of all participants felt that discrimination against women in terms of home and childcare will end in the next 20 years.

A majority of the Indians surveyed (59 percent) were confident that the burden of household duties on women will end in 20 years.

In India, domestic responsibilities often keep women away from employment. Only 25 percent of India’s workforce is female, according to a report by consultancy McKinsey & Company.