Surge in China's full-time dads

Social norms for centuries made men the breadwinners.

- Shanghai

PRESENCE: SALARY IS NOT NECESSARILY WHAT YOUR FAMILY NEEDS SAYS DEDICATED FATHER.

Cooking, cleaning, caring for the kids during the day, Chen Hualiang takes on household tasks many Chinese fathers tend to leave to their wives, bucking a deep-rooted patriarchal tradition and even inspiring a hit TV show.

The former project manager gave up the rat race to join a growing number of "full-time dads", as they are known in China.

"When you work, you dream of a great career and that this money will help your family," he said from a villa in the suburbs of Shanghai, his four-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son playing nearby.

"But nothing is certain and a salary is not necessarily what your family needs the most." Social norms in China have for centuries dictated that men are the breadwinners, while women take care of the household and children.

"My father was just a father. I never felt like he could help me, except financially," said Chen.

"I want to be like a friend to my children, so they can share things with me." Over half of Chinese men now say they would agree to become a stay-at-home dad, a 2019 survey cited by state media suggested up from just 17% in 2007.