Prior research has found that househusbands suffer alienation and ostracism from a variety of sources. Based on in-depth interviews with eleven househusbands, this article builds on such research by outlining and analyzing some of the mechanisms of this alienation and some of the adaptations these men made to deal with these experiences. Of particular interest are the problems the men report having with being seen by others as legitimately involved in child care and (to a lesser extent) housework. These data strongly support the idea that the men's sex category overrides other positionings that may be relevant, such as “competent housekeeper” or “full-time househusband and child carer.” Put differently, hegemonic conceptions of who ought to be minding the children and the house subvert or thwart these men's attempts to validate themselves and these practices. The consequences are a feeling of illegitimacy on one hand and social isolation on the other.
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