Attention dads: pick up the vacuum, and your little girl could be well on her way to a career in investment banking. Maybe.
A study out of the University of British Columbia found that dads who help with household chores are more likely to raise daughters with higher paying, non-traditional careers. When mom and dad split domestic duties, girls were less likely to envision themselves as stay-at-home moms, teachers, librarians, or nurses. Of course, those are all important jobs. But they are typically female-dominant.
“This study is important because it suggests that achieving gender equality at home may be one way to inspire young women to set their sights on careers from which they have traditionally been excluded,” says Alyssa Croft, psychology PhD candidate at UBC.
After observing 326 families, researchers found that moms do typically take on more housework than dads. And kids are taking notice. When dads get domestic, daughters learn they can take on additional roles too.
So, dad, there’s some scientific proof of your impact. Better get sweeping!
How do you split parenting duties at home?