Aaron Rochlen from the University of Texas is -- in addition to being a great guy -- has done some really wonderful work (and some of the first work) in trying to understand who at-home dads are and what drives them. So when Aaron sent along details on his latest research effort, I told him I would absolutely pass it along to you. If you're an at-home father, please consider giving Aaron 15 minutes of your time to help this study along:

Dear Stay at home Fathers,

I am recruiting participants for a new study on stay-at-home fathers and wanted to ask for your help! Basically, this study has 3 primary goals.
1) Evaluating the relationship between different reasons for becoming a stay-at-home father and adjustment.
2) Assessing plans and perceptions toward re-entering the workforce &
3) Addressing how different factors relate to the occurrence & perceptions of negative reactions from others.

To my knowledge this will be the first study addressing these questions. As I did with the other project, I'll post a summary back to the major at-home dads forums when available. Honestly, I think this study should yield some interesting and potentially important results.

To participate, go to:

http://www.hostedsurvey.com/takesurvey.asp?c=SAHF1

If anyone is interested in copies of the two published studies I've done on this topic, just shoot me an e-mail! My grandiose thought is that legitimate research on this topic will eventually lead to more positive/realistic portrayals of the SAHF experience in the media and other outlets that can have a positive impact on fathers and men considering the role.

This study has been approved by the IRB board at UTexas at Austin.

Thanks again.
Aaron Rochlen