Nontraditional male: Men with primary childcare/household responsibilities

Interview, sex role, and personality test data were obtained from 16 nontraditional men. All of the men met the following criteria: a) they were married, b) their wives were employed outside the home, and c) they had over 50% of the responsibility for childrearing and household tasks. Ten of the men reported that their mothers had worked when they were growing up, and 11 said that parental roles had influenced their current life-style. The best aspect of their nontraditional role according to these men was the increased involvement with the children while the worst aspect was the housework. Most of the men indicated that they were happy with their lives. Thirty-six percent of the men were sex-typed androgynous on the Bem Sex Role Inventory and scored significantly differently than the norm sample on nine out of 18 scales of the California Psychological Inventory. A number of significant data relationships are discussed.