- Storm Helene kills 44, threatens more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Boeing strike grinds on as latest talks fail to reach agreement
- Iran 'news' sites, hackers target Trump ahead of US election
- US ports brace for potential dockworkers strike
- Japan's speedy, spotless Shinkansen bullet trains turn 60
- US hurricane deaths rise to 44, fears of more 'catastrophic' flooding
- Global stocks mostly rise, cheering Beijing stimulus
- Europe en route for Moon with new simulator, says astronaut Pesquet
- Fireworks forecast if comet survives risky Sun flypast
- Argentina judge orders dictionary to delete pejorative definition of 'Jewish'
- Global stocks rise on rate hopes, Beijing stimulus
- S.African woman turns 118, among the oldest in the world
- UK clears $4 bn AI partnership between Amazon, Anthropic
- Barca fans barred from Champions League away game over racist banner
- Chinese stocks extend surge, Europe higher on Beijing stimulus
- Pope says Church must 'seek forgiveness' for child sexual abuse
- China caps week of 'bazooka' stimulus for ailing economy with rate cut
- Cuts, cash, credit: China bids to jumpstart flagging economy
- France's debt weighs heavier ahead of budget debate
- Iran treads carefully, backing Hezbollah while avoiding war
- Return to sender: waste stranded at sea stirs toxic dispute
- 'Broken' news industry faces uncertain future
- On remote Greek island, migratory birds offer climate clues
- Taken from mother by nuns, victim seeks answers as pope visits Belgium
- China cuts amount banks hold in reserve to boost lending
- Hong Kong, Shanghai extend surge as China optimism boosts markets
- Vietnam president reiterates support for Cuba during official visit
- Drought reduces Amazon River in Colombia by as much as 90%: report
- Stay or go? Pacific Islanders face climate's grim choice
- Florida bracing for 'unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene
- Poverty rises to over 52 percent in Milei's Argentina
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala Harris
- Champagne houses abuzz over English sparkling wine
- Macron, Trudeau pledge to work for 'decarbonized' economies
- Hurricanes, storms, typhoons... Is September wetter than usual?
- China stimulus, tech optimism boost stock markets
- 'Unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene races towards Florida
- Macron meets Trudeau in Canada as both face political setbacks
- South Korea surges in UN innovation index
- Chloe's see-through look may not be for Kamala
- Floods threaten Niger's historic 'gateway to the desert'
- China economy hopes boost global equities
- Ubisoft shares sink after 'Assassin's Creed' delay
- German economy to shrink again in 2024: think tanks
- Hong Kong's New World Development replaces CEO Adrian Cheng
- Swiss central bank cuts rate again amid strong franc worries
- Germany's BASF to focus on 'core units' in major overhaul
- China admits economy facing new 'problems', vows to fix property sector
- Stock markets boosted by China hopes, tech rally
- Bangladesh revolution sparks new hopes among Rohingya
China's 'full-time dads' challenge patriarchal norms
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 told AFP 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 percent in 2007.
That has coincided with a broader recognition of women's rights and their access to higher education, though they are still under-represented in senior roles.
"The increase in the number of stay-at-home dads is due to the fact that women have a higher status today," Pan Xingzhi, founder of an online psychological counselling platform, told AFP.
People also see "value for money" -- for a couple, foregoing a salary and taking care of their baby themselves is often less expensive than hiring a nanny or a childminder, Pan said.
- 'Super helpful' -
For Chen, his decision to stay home frees up time for his wife Mao Li, author of a bestselling book on stay-at-home fathers.
"At the beginning of our marriage, I wondered about his helpfulness as a spouse," she said.
"He worked a lot, so he didn't help me with the children and didn't pay me much attention. But now he takes care of the children and stays at home, I find him super helpful," she said.
"I give him 9.5 out of 10."
On Xiaohongshu, China's equivalent of Instagram, other young stay-at-home dads proudly promote their lifestyle choice.
Chang Wenhao, 37, a content creator and education entrepreneur from the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai, is one convert.
He adjusted his working hours to be available 80 percent of the time for his seven-year-old daughter and five-year-old son, taking them camping, horse riding, cycling and hiking.
"In terms of educational methods, encouragement, how to build self-confidence, develop their skills, their independence in life, I bring them things they don't learn at school or from other adults," he said.
Mao's book has inspired a 36-episode television series called "Husband and Wife" on the theme of full-time dads, rekindling the sometimes-heated debate about the role of men in the home in China.
"My parents are a little concerned that I am a stay-at-home dad," Chen said.
"Some people, especially on social media, say that I live off my wife."
- 'You have to work' -
Plenty of other stay-at-home dads also report pushback from their families.
Xu Xiaolin, 34, from the eastern Chinese of Xiamen, has been a stay-at-home dad since the company he worked for went bankrupt.
"In the beginning, my parents and grandparents often said: you have to work," Xu told AFP.
"Elderly neighbours sometimes make comments to them. It bothers them, so they put pressure on me."
Passers-by sometimes make fun of him when he walks his two-year-old son alone, he said.
"But people under 35 no longer have that mentality."
Chang, the entrepreneur, also said he has noticed the beginnings of a change in recent years.
"Many fathers are starting to value the company and education of their children" and listening to their needs.
"This will continue to develop," he said.
"But profound change will still take time."
Y.Uduike--CPN