Stay-at-home dad quite a rarity

Conrad Sciortino is a home maker. He works reduced hours which allow him the time to take care of his two children after school, and to manage the household. His wife works full-time and comes back home at 6pm. Mr Sciortino, 35, from Birguma is quite a rarity in Malta. Although no statistics exist of men who are the main child carers in Malta, according to a statistical study by the University’s Labour Studies Centre while 99 per cent of women took parental leave among employees in the public sector in 2009, only one per cent of men did – 461 women, compared to nine men. A similar report carried out in 2003 by the Department for Women in Society had showed a similar trend. “This signifies a slow change in men’s attitude to parental leave which suggests that Maltese fathers largely conform to ideal worker norms of uninterrupted career patterns,” said Anna Borg, a lecturer at the centre. Mr Sciortino, father to Leah, aged five, and Nicole, one, believes that for men to be the main carers is still socially considered to be an “off the beaten track” bold step. “Two years ago we decided that it was financially more feasible for us as a family if my wife worked full time… so I just put...