Do Parenting Magazines Reflect Our Ideas on Fatherhood?

Glance at most of today's parenting magazines and you'll read articles about liposuction after childbirth and how to set-up play dates with other moms. Most of the articles in parenting magazines are written by women, for women, with small sections that are "just for Dads." There are parenting magazines that are geared specifically towards fathers, but these are few and far between, and they certainly do not have the circulation levels of the mainstream parenting magazines that center on mothers.

This discrepancy raises several questions. The first, most obvious question is whether the lack of parenting magazines geared towards men points to women being the primary caregiver for children. With more women working outside of the home, it is often argued that men and women are now splitting child-rearing equally. However, if this is true, then it seems as though parenting magazines would focus on fatherhood as much as they focus on motherhood.

This brings a second question - are men more confident parents than women? If men and women are sharing caregiver roles today, and women seek parenting magazines as a support mechanism, then why wouldn't men look for (and create) parenting magazines to provide the same sort of support system? It's not as though men don't read magazines or newspapers. Certainly, men consult Sports Illustrated when looking for information about their favorite team or Money Magazine when seeking investment advice. The lack of a large parenting magazine specifically geared towards men makes it seem as though men are more confident and feel more comfortable in their parenting skills than women. Or that men rely on women to find information about parenting, which brings us back to women being the primary caregiver for their children (even if they have a job outside of the home).

We know that men can't share equally in the nine months of pregnancy and the delivery process. Even if they faithfully attend every doctor's appointment, ultrasound reading, or Lamaze class, dads cannot fully realize what it is like to carry another human life inside of you, nor can they understand the pain (and relief) of childbirth. Men cannot make the choice whether or not to breastfeed their children. Does this mean that men cannot equally share in the responsibilities related to raising a child? That is for each father to decide for himself. Certainly, the lack of parenting magazines focused on the joy of fatherhood does nothing to encourage fathers as they try their best to impart their wisdom to their children.