Babies in the Workplace

caring for their babies--and discover how much fun and how rewarding it is--our culture is likely to change to accommodate men's desires to really be active participants in their children's lives.

As more men become involved in their infant children's lives, the cultural assumption that men are "lesser-skilled" caregivers will also diminish. Though our society has come a long way in its view of men as involved, competent parents, we still have progress to make. Mark Tatara said that when he brought his son to work, "There were a couple of instances where, because I was a man, I was given the 'Oh, let me show you how to do that' routine," even though he had everything well under control.

Mark also commented that his son still treats him as the primary caregiver at times, which Mark attributes to the bond he developed with his son from bringing him to

work. Mark explained that, since he and his wife had their second child, Mark is primarily responsible for his older son while his wife focuses more on the baby.

Baby-to-work programs will increase men's involvement with their children. Though our society is gradually becoming more supportive of men being equal partners in their children's lives, the typical pattern is still that men spend most of their time focusing on their jobs, and women--even women who work full-time out of the house--do most of the child-rearing. Being able to bring their babies to work with them will give men the chance to actively merge their careers and their family lives and to bond more strongly with their children. It will also help our society to more clearly accept the idea that both men and women are important in nurturing and caring for children.