Recent data show that fathers are becoming much more involved in childcare. However, this trend is happening at the same time that community support systems are disappearing and the gap between wealthy and low-income parents is growing.

近期數據顯示，父親在育兒方面的參與度大幅提升。然而，這一趨勢與社區支持系統的消失以及富裕父母與低收入父母之間差距擴大的現象同時發生。

The role of fathers has changed significantly, with estimates suggesting they spend four times more time on childcare than they did fifty years ago. In fact, about 85% of fathers now see parenthood as a central part of their identity. Experts emphasize that this increase may be caused by the loss of extended family support. While some traditional societies share childcare duties among the community, the modern nuclear family requires parents to do more of the work themselves.

父親的角色已發生顯著變化，估計他們現在投入在育兒上的時間是五十年前的四倍。事實上，約 85% 的父親目前將為人父母視為其身份認同的核心部分。專家強調，這種增加可能是由於失去了大家庭的支持。雖然某些傳統社會會在社區中分擔育兒職責，但現代的核心家庭要求父母承擔更多工作。

Furthermore, this change is not the same for everyone. Data indicates that the rise in paternal involvement is mostly seen among college-educated fathers. This is because they have better access to benefits like paid paternity leave and flexible work schedules, which are often unavailable to low-wage or freelance workers. Additionally, wealthy parents often practice 'intensive parenting' to give their children a competitive advantage in the future.

此外，這種變化並非對每個人都相同。數據顯示，父親參與度的提升主要見於大學畢業的父親。這是因為他們能更好地獲得如帶薪陪產假和彈性工作時間等福利，而這些福利對於低薪或接案工作者來說通常無法獲得。此外，富裕的父母經常實行「密集式育兒」，以期讓孩子在未來擁有競爭優勢。

At the same time, the Pew Research Center reports a strong conflict between work and home life. The percentage of households with two working parents has risen from 31% in 1975 to 52% in 2025. Consequently, many working mothers and some fathers feel they cannot perform at their best in both areas. This stress is made worse by the high cost of childcare and a lack of paid sick leave, which especially affects minority and low-income families. Even remote work has not solved the problem, as it often blurs the line between professional and family time.

與此同時，皮尤研究中心報告指出工作與家庭生活之間存在嚴重衝突。雙親皆工作的家庭比例從 1975 年的 31% 上升至 2025 年的 52%。因此，許多職場母親和部分父親覺得自己無法在兩個領域都表現最佳。高昂的育兒成本和缺乏帶薪病假加劇了這種壓力，對少數族裔和低收入家庭影響尤深。即便遠端工作也未能解決問題，因為它經常模糊了專業工作與家庭時間的界限。

Current trends show that while fathers are more invested in childcare, this progress is limited by social inequality and a lack of government or corporate support for working parents.

目前的趨勢顯示，儘管父親對育兒投入更多，但這種進展受到社會不平等以及政府或企業缺乏對職場父母支持的限制。