The lived experience of stay-at-home dads: a narrative inquiry

Abstract

Research on stay-at-home dads (SAHDs) has not kept pace with the increase in the trend and is lacking the in-depth description of their lived experience. The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to describe and thereby better understand the lived experience of SAHDs and how they make meaning within the role. Narrative inquiry works to restory the stories of the participants by gathering data, analyzing it, searching for themes, and rewriting it in a sequence that makes sense. In this study, in order to fully examine the lived experience of SAHDs, I encompassed a constructivist paradigm, which allowed for the evolution of the meaning and process. I realize that my participation altered the reality of the experience and that the stories that I present only captured brief moments of time; however, I drew heavily upon my therapeutic and clinical backgrounds to create a warm and compassionate environment which guided the way for an inductive exploration into each dad's lived experience. I primarily used unstructured interviews that focused more on Rogerian therapeutic principles than direct Socratic questioning; however, I maintained boundaries which provided focus, shape, and scope. These unstructured interviews provided the space for the participants to talk freely and openly as I obtained very rich quotations from each dad which I have presented within the narratives. By including these excerpts, often in their entirety, I maintain the integrity of the process, meaning making, and authenticity of each individual story. This narrative inquiry contains the lived experience of four SAHDs, ending with my own account. Each dad's narrative is presented individually, uniquely, and told in its entirety followed by my holistic content analysis which explores the themes of both the inner and outer world of each dad as embodied by his past, present, and possibility of the future. By doing so, this study gave voice to the SAHD experience and opened doors for future research and understanding. The individual and cumulative effects of the narratives have provided avenues for understanding for readers to make their personal meaning of the lived experience of SAHDs. I have also provided recommendations for clinicians who are working with SAHDs or their families. I conclude with my journey through this qualitative inquiry and a brief letter to SAHDs.