---
title: Should Boys Learn to Cook?
description: Four in 10 fathers now say boys should not learn to cook or clean, up from one in four in 2023. Seven ways to raise sons who can care for a home.
author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2026-11-01T08:39:13.578Z
updated: 2026-11-01T08:43:41.850Z
canonical: https://richdadmagazine.com/article/should-boys-learn-to-cook
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/pexels-4261797.webp
categories: Fatherhood, Family & Relationships
content_type: Feature
region: United Kingdom
publication: Rich Dad Magazine
schema_type: Article
---

Nine in 10 fathers say caring for their children is one of the most enjoyable things in their lives. Nine in 10 also say it is far more normal for men to do care work than it was in their own fathers' day. Yet four in 10 fathers now agree that boys should not be taught to cook, clean or look after their brothers and sisters, up from one in four in 2023.

Those figures come from [a survey of 8,000 mothers and fathers in 16 countries](https://www.equimundo.org/resources/state-of-the-worlds-fathers-2026/), carried out between July and September 2025 and published on 29th April 2026. Fathers in the survey valued care almost as highly as mothers did, and 93 percent said they were good at it. The sharpest slide towards old-fashioned views came from the youngest dads, those aged 18 to 30.

## Young fathers are drifting back to old roles

Other answers moved the same way. In 2023, 32 percent of fathers said nappies, bath time and feeding were a mother's job. In the latest survey 36 percent said so, while the share of mothers who agreed fell from 30 to 23 percent. In Spain, Ireland and Croatia, fathers aged 46 to 65 now hold more equal views than men in their twenties and thirties.

Seventy percent of fathers say providing financially is a father's core role, and 58 percent of men say they do not feel man enough unless they can provide for their family. Only a third of parents see hands-on care as central to fatherhood. The report links part of the shift to online influencers who tell young men that equality is the source of their problems.

Southern Europe stands apart. Spain and Portugal were the only countries where fewer than half of men agreed that families do better when men earn and women care: 49 percent in Spain and 42.5 percent in Portugal, against 71 percent in South Africa.

## Stretched parents clash more over who does what

Five in six parents said they lack the time to care for their families, and more than four in five said their employer will not let them work flexibly. The UK was among the countries with the highest levels of parental distress, and fathers had higher odds than mothers of falling into the most distressed group, with younger fathers most at risk.

Couples who held traditional roles reported more than double the rows over care, and men with traditional views were four times as likely to clash with their partner. Fathers also see more sharing than mothers do: 88 percent of fathers say they and their partner support each other with housework and childcare, but only 76 percent of mothers agree.

## How to raise sons who can care

### Cook with your son once a week

Pick one night and make it yours. Start with food he already likes, such as pasta, eggs on toast or a simple soup, and [let him do the chopping and stirring](https://richdadmagazine.com/article/cooking-with-kids) while you guide. A boy who can feed himself at 12 can feed a family at 30.

### Let your children see you do the unglamorous jobs

Children copy what they watch far more than what they hear. When you change the beds, clean the bathroom or sort the washing, do it where they can see you, and ask them to help.

### Hand out chores by age, never by gender

A four-year-old can set the table and pair socks. An eight-year-old can load the dishwasher and feed the pet. A teenager can cook a full meal and do his own laundry. Give your son and your daughter the same list for their age.

### Talk to your partner every week about who does what

How often couples talk about sharing care was one of the strongest signs of better mental health and more enjoyment of family life, and fathers gained slightly more from it than mothers. [Ten minutes on a Sunday evening](https://richdadmagazine.com/article/777-rule-for-couples-busy-parents) to go through the week ahead is enough to start.

### Know what your son watches online

Young men spend more time online than young women, and much of what reaches them says that caring is a weakness. Ask your son which creators he follows, [watch a few clips with him](https://richdadmagazine.com/article/loneliness-in-boys-7-ways-fathers-can-help) and talk about what they say about men, women and work.

### Count your presence as part of providing

Earning a living matters, but [your children will remember who turned up](https://richdadmagazine.com/article/fatherhood-fathers-being-present-and-patient). One 40-year-old father in Chile told the researchers: 'Being present is the most important thing. Not just money.' Leave work on time once a week for the school run, the match or bedtime.

### Ask for the time you are owed

Fewer than half of fathers in the survey knew that parenting support existed for them, and only 39 percent had ever been offered any. In the UK, paternity leave has been a right from your first day in a job since 6th April 2026, and you can ask for flexible working from day one too. Find out what your employer offers before you need it.