Are dads the new working moms?

Getty ImagesThe voices of working mothers have long dominated much of the conversation on work/life issues. But lately, and with a new generation of men coming down the pike, it seems like men are chiming in more often, giving voice to what it feels like to be a stay-at-home or involved dad or how it feels to blend their working and parenting lives.

On Daddy Dialectic, a popular blog about 21st century parenthood (which has spawned a new book, The Daddy Shift by Jeremy Adam Smith), Smith and other fathers record their daily experiences and philosophical musings on fatherhood and philosophical musings, much in the style of so many mommy blogs. Typical posts describe his son's favorite imaginary characters, give advice on how people can support the parents in their communities, and offer thoughtful discussions of gender roles.

Deborah Siegel, who is working on a book about how men's changing roles are affecting women says it is not as simple as saying that dads are the new moms. "Dads are the new dads," she told me, "With more women in the labor force than ever, it's moot to think of earning as solely masculine anymore. So why do we continue to gender parenting as female?"

I heard the same kind of ideas when talking with Laura Vandkerkam, another author who is working on a book exploring how high achieving men and women are managing their time and partnering in new ways as parents (though she concedes that there is still a disproportionate number of women who must get by on their own because their children's fathers aren't even in their lives.) "When I had my first son and my aunt asked me if my husband was willing to change diapers, it never occurred to me that he wouldn't be," she said. "I see dads everywhere every day -- in the pediatrician's office, at pick-ups and drop-offs."

Even big companies and research organizations like Catalyst are focusing on men as the new poster children for active parenting and work/life integration. Just a few weeks ago I got an email from Deloitte asking me if, in honor of Father's day, I wanted to write about a few of their male executives who are involved in the firm's efforts to help employees lead balanced lives. The pitch described an exec Paul, who "lives with his wife Jennifer, a stay-at-home mom and their two young daughters," and who "relishes his time with his family and refuses to miss school plays and honor roll presentations." It went on to say that "one time he flew to Hawaii from San Jose (more than 5 hours each way) and headed back directly after his one-hour meeting so that he could be home for a soccer game." (While Deloitte sent me this email in order to highlight the men who are pioneering new ways of thinking about parenting and work, Deloitte does have an innovative program for helping its employees -- both men and women -- build careers that fit with their life choices and life stages.)

All this left me with a few questions, and since I'm not a parent myself, I'd love to hear what some parents have to say.

Is this a case of men getting recognition for doing the very things that working mothers struggle with every day -- or is the tide really shifting?

Are a new generation of dads contributing in ways that will that make it easier for women balancing career and parenting? Or do these stories feel like voices of a vocal minority rather than a growing movement?