We have all seen the professional athlete, whom after spending thousands of
hours of practice as a kid in the backyard with his dad, says “Hi Mom” to
the camera while being interviewed on TV. For years, our fathers have taken
a backseat to their female partners, giving her the special recognition in
place of his own.
It wasn’t until 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson designated the third
Sunday in June as Father’s Day – a full 50 years after our mothers received
such a recognition. It took another six years before President Richard
Nixon signed it into permanent law. This year, we will celebrate Father’s
Day on June 16th.
But what do we really know about these men in the shadows? While most of us
think very highly of our own fathers, you might be surprised to know how
great fathers are in general.
- There are an estimated 70.1 million fathers in the United States,
according to the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse. The
average age of a first-time father is 27.4. First time mothers, in
comparison, are three years younger.
- A father’s traditional role as the main breadwinner has changed
drastically since 1970. Then, about half of the families relied on
income from the father only. Today, that number has been reduced to
25 percent of households where the father earns the only income,
and 66 percent of families have dual income earners.
- Speaking of bringing home the bacon, an estimated 52 percent of
fathers are the primary grocery shopper in the family – up 10
percent since 1995. Studies show that 75 percent of dads think they
are more involved with their children than their fathers were.
Today 14 percent of men get some paid paternity leave. Yes, that is
still a low number, but paternity leave was unheard of just a
generation ago.
- In 2012, stay-at-home fathers reached the all-time high of 2.2
million men. While high unemployment rates contributed to this
number, 21 percent of men reported that they are home primarily as
caregivers. This number has increased from just 5 percent of
stay-at-home fathers in 1989 according to a study by Pew Research.
- It is estimated that 8 percent of children in the United States
live in households headed by single fathers. That number is up from
just 1 percent in 1960. Reportedly, single fathers have higher
incomes, making them less likely than single mothers to live at or
below the poverty level. According to a study on custodial parents,
custodial fathers receive $2 billion in child support as compared
to $19.5 billion received by custodial mothers.
- We all know that fathers determine the sex of their offspring by
either passing on an X or Y chromosome. A Newcastle University
study in 2008 shows that men inherit the tendency to have sons or
daughters from their parents. Those with many brothers are more
likely to have sons and those with several sisters are more likely
to have daughters.
- While not recognized as a real syndrome by some medical
professionals, Couvade Syndrome is experienced by a few men during
their partner’s pregnancy. These reported sympathetic pregnancy
symptoms include weight gain, morning sickness and altered hormone
levels. Extreme cases include labor pains and postpartum
depression.
- We can find some pretty amazing fathers in nature, too. Male
seahorses get pregnant when their female counterpart deposits her
eggs into his brood. The average seahorse has 100-200 babies.
Hardhead catfish males carry their fertilized eggs in their mouth
for 60 days, which keeps them from taking in any nourishment for
that amount of time. Male Emperor Penguins keep their eggs balanced
on their feet and covered by their belly in order to protect them
from the Arctic temperatures. They cannot hunt for food for 60-100
days until the eggs hatch and the females return.
- It is reported that in 2017, $15.5 billion was spent on Father’s
Day. The average person spends $133 on their dad. While 53 percent
of us are shopping for our fathers and stepfathers, 27 percent buy
for their husbands, 10 percent for their sons and 4 percent for
their grandfathers. The most popular gifts are cards, taking dad on
a special outing, clothes and gift cards.
- Father’s Day is now celebrated by several countries around the
world. Many countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan,
India, Argentina and the Netherlands have followed the United
States’ tradition of celebrating on the third Sunday in June.
Portugal, Belgium and Spain celebrate their fathers on St. Joseph’s
Day (March 19), while Australia, New Zealand and Sweden have chosen
the first Sunday in September. Regardless of the day, we all want
to give our fathers the recognition they deserve.
