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Today, Explained

Who is the modern American dad?

Today, Explained

Vox

Daily News, Politics, News

4.49.5K Ratings

🗓️ 28 September 2025

⏱️ 31 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Young men are more interested in becoming parents than young women are, and there's a growing number of single dads by choice. A look at modern fatherhood. This episode was produced by Devan Schwartz, edited by Megan Cunnane, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch, engineered by Adriene Lilly and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill.  Thanks to Jonquilyn Hill for sharing a family photo for our episode image today. Image of dad John and baby Jonquilyn courtesy of the Hill family. If you have a question, give us a call on 1-800-618-8545 or send us a note here. Listen to Explain It to Me ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Support for today explained comes from Dell. Dell would like to introduce the new Dell AIPC, powered by the Intel Core Ultra processor. They say it can help you do your busy work for you so you can fast forward through editing those images, designing those presentations, generating that code, debugging that code, guys, summarizing meeting notes, finding files, managing your

0:22.0

schedule, responding to emails, leaving all the time in the world for the things you actually

0:26.1

want to do. Get a new Dell, A-I-PC at Dell.co.uk-A-I-P-C. Dell, how those ahead, stay ahead.

0:37.6

From Pushkin Industries, I'm Jonathan Goldstein, and heavyweight is back.

0:43.3

The new season is bigger than ever.

0:45.7

Bigger hopes?

0:46.7

I keep waiting for this moment when he says, Mom, I get it, I'm sorry.

0:52.9

Bigger dreams.

0:54.1

Tom Hanks wants to meet with you.

0:56.3

This is a real chance.

0:58.2

And bigger heartbreaks.

0:59.7

I thought it would be my movie moment.

1:04.9

And maybe he would even whisper in my ear.

1:06.7

I've always been in love with you.

1:08.8

Check out new episodes of heavyweight on Apple Podcasts.

1:17.5

The idea of the dad and the idea of fatherhood is constantly about it.

1:22.3

We're in this sort of time period where I think like what it means to be a man culturally is shifting really rapidly.

1:29.6

I always wanted to be a dad, so becoming a father was scary, but it was the natural thing I wanted to do to find some more purpose in my life.

1:39.2

I'm John Blan Hill, and this is explained to me from Fox. There's a real case of baby fever going around,

1:45.1

and it's coming from young men. Fifty-seven percent of young adult men want to be parents now.

1:51.9

Compare that to just 45 percent of women the same age who want to have a kid one day.

1:56.4

This stat kind of turns our traditional ideas about parenthood on its head, which got us thinking about

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