The endless debate about “ work — life balance ” often contains a hopeful footnote about stay at home dads. If American society and business won ’ t make it easier on future female leaders who choose to have children, there is still the ray of hope that increasing numbers of full-time fathers will. But based on today ’ s socioeconomic trends, this hope is, unfortunately, misguided. It ’ s true that the number of men who have left work to do their thing as full-time parents has doubled in a decade , but it ’ s still very small: only 0.8% of married couples where the stay-at-home father was out of the labor force for a year. Even that percentage is likely inflated by men thrust into their caretaker role by a downsizing. This is simply not a large enough group to reduce the social stigma ( 污名 ) and force other adjustments necessary to supporting men in this decision, even if only for a relatively short time. Even shorter times away from work for working fathers are already difficult. A study found that 85% of new fathers take some time off after the birth of a child — but for all but a few, it ’ s a week or two at most. Meanwhile, the average for women who take leave is more than l0 weeks. Such choices impact who moves up in the organization. While you ’ re away, someone else is doing your work, making your sales, taking care of your customers. That can ’ t help you at work. It can only hurt you. Women, of course, face the same issues of returning after a long absence. But with many more women than men choosing to leave the workforce entirely to raise families, returning from an extended parental leave doesn ’ t raise as many eyebrows as it does for men. Women would make more if they didn ’ t break their earning trajectory ( 轨迹 ) by leaving the workforce, or if higher-paying professions were more family-friendly. In the foreseeable future, stay-at-home fathers may make all the difference for individual families, but their presence won ’ t reduce the numbers of high potential women who are forced to choose between family and career .