"Notwithstanding Latham's ebullience for stay at home dads (otherwise known as SAHD's), as he acknowledges, only 2 percent of men adopt this role, which means that 98 per cent of men are not the primary carers of their children."

What a charming display of illogic! Does this mean that if both parents work, that neither of them is a SAHD or a SAHM, then the child has no primary carer?

I wonder what this 98% figure would look like if we excluded from the sample families where the mother has kicked the father out of the family unit, or where he never got to be part of it at all. If 98% of fathers are not the primary carer of their child, in many cases they have no choice in the matter.

Latham had testicular cancer, we're told. And could have been "mentally" affected by the drugs he needed to take for the pain and or nausea!
And given a successful outcome, a virtual miracle family to be treasured?

I've always thought of Mark Latham as a quite brilliant if "eccentric" Richard head! With Richard shortened to the lessor dick!

Given his history, an obvious alpha male/butch, and all that goes with it?
Including the very best, most effective labor opposition leader we've had since Gough Witlem!

Fundamental flaws seem to include an alleged problematic attitude to females; and an ability to gravitate to other equally implacable left leaning leaders?

Hence the election killing deal with Bob Brown's Greens!
All of which points to extreme intelligence; but no practical pragmatism or plain old fashioned common sense!

Compounded it would seem, by his often fiery rejection of feminism; apparently normal in a butch male/very caring, stay at home dad!?
Rhrosty.

Strange, isn't it, how according to many a social commentator, such as Mark Latham, feminists are the source of all things bad for our society?!

I wonder if he has given a second thought to just how difficult things were for women, and their families, in the 'bad old days'?

I remember women often suffered with what was labelled a 'mid-life-crisis' after their children had grown up and left home. After all being a primary carer, with little opportunity for occupations outside the home, what would you expect?

I remember workers often spent a couple of hours in the pub with their mates and came home drunk, sometimes staggering.

Sometimes women organised the family finances and gave their husbands an allowance but more often than not, women were given 'housekeeping' money from which they bought all and sundry for the family. This often meant little was left for themselves while maybe turning a blind eye to extravagances like having a bet on the races.

I think you had to be there to know just how bad things could be for women. My mum had to get permission from my dad to have a hysterectomy, something that would be seen as primitive today.

Like Petra says, women value care and that's why they cop all kinds of disadvantage.

The breadwinner model of the family is archaic and we're moving into a new 21st century model. Our institutional framework needs some serious alteration to foster, rather than hold back progress, and people like Latham need a brain transplant.

don't know much about Lathams views however its hands off any criticism or challenge to 'feminist'. They want the right to high paid Government income, have their kids paid by Government income, choose to have a dad or 2 mums, play the victim and then blame the system if their way of doing things fail. Latham may have it 'wrong' but Petra certainly ain't got it right.

It's always interesting to hear men of the Left denouncing feminism - especially when, theoretically speaking, the Left is supposed to be the side of politics that is all for social equality. It's fun to watch them trip all over their own hypocrisy.

At least men of the Right are more honest about their entrenched belief in the innate superiority of the male and that women were put on this earth to be men's unpaid servants, cooks, nannies and playthings.

Right or Left of politics, women can't keep assuming that the only way to equality is via men's approval. Both sides of politics make a national sport of shaming and blaming women for failing to live up to their fantasies of what a woman should be.

Runner, perhaps you should familiarise yourself with Latham's views before you make uninformed comments. Pointless being part of the discussion otherwise.