Fathers in the UK had been increasing their involvement in childcare over several decades (Fisher et al., 1999; Henz, 2017). They had mainly achieved this NOT by working fewer hours or closer to home, but by clipping minutes and hours off sleep and personal leisure (Fox et al., 2011).
Covid-19 has proved to be that ‘something big’, generating a massive reverse migration as – in their millions across the world – fathers came home. During the first stringent lockdown period in the UK (Spring 2020) Lockdown Fathers found more than half (56%) of the partnered (and 51% of the separated) fathers who had been in paid employment before lockdown, full-time at home during it (working or not working).
