from staff
The idea of Father’s Day was conceived slightly more than a century ago by Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Wash., while she listened to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart, a widowed Civil War veteran who was left to raise his six children on a farm.
A day in June was chosen for the first Father’s Day celebration, 100 years ago, June 19, 1910, proclaimed by Spokane’s mayor because it was the month of Smart’s birth.
The first presidential proclamation honoring fathers was issued in 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson designated the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. Father’s Day has been celebrated annually since 1972 when President Richard Nixon signed the public law that made it permanent.
How Many Fathers?
67.8 million
Estimated number of fathers across the nation.
25.8 million
Number of fathers who were part of married-couple families with children younger than 18 in 2009. Twenty-two percent were raising three or more children younger than 18 (among married-couple family households only). Three percent lived in someone else’s home.
1.7 million
Number of single fathers in 2009; 15 percent of single parents were men. Eight percent were raising three or more children younger than 18. About 47 percent were divorced, 29 percent were never married, 18 percent were separated and 5 percent were widowed. Also, 44 percent had an annual family income of $50,000 or more.
85 percent
Among the 30.2 million fathers living with children younger than 18, the percentage who lived with their biological children only. In addition, 11 percent lived with stepchildren, 4 percent with adopted children and fewer than 1 percent with foster children.
Thinking of You, Dad
8,610
The number of men’s clothing stores around the country (as of 2007).
14,193
The number of hardware stores (as of 2007), a place to buy hammers, wrenches, screwdrivers and other items high on the list of Father’s Day gifts. Additionally, there were 7,150 home centers across the country in 2007.
23,756
Number of sporting goods stores in 2007. These stores are good places to purchase traditional gifts for dad, such as fishing rods and golf clubs.
76 million
The number of Americans who participated in a barbecue in the last year.
Mr. Mom
158,000
Estimated number of stay-at-home dads in 2009. These married fathers with children younger than 15 have remained out of the labor force for at least one year primarily to care for the family while their wives worked outside the home. These fathers cared for 290,000 children. Among these stay-at-home dads, 59 percent had two or more children, and 57 percent had an annual family income of $50,000 or more.
24 percent
Among the nation’s 11.2 million preschoolers whose mothers are employed, the percentage who are regularly cared for by their father during their mother’s working hours. This amounted to 2.7 million children.
Child-support Payments
$2.8 billion
Amount of child support received by custodial fathers in 2007; they were due $4.3 billion. In contrast, custodial mothers received $18.6 billion of the $29.8 billion in support that was due.
45 percent
Percentage of custodial fathers who received all child support that was due in 2007, not significantly different from the corresponding percentage for custodial mothers.
67 percent
Percentage of custodial fathers receiving noncash support, such as gifts or coverage of expenses, on behalf of their children. The corresponding proportion for mothers was 56 percent.
Time with Dad
53 percent and 71 percent
Percentages of children younger than 6 who ate breakfast and dinner, respectively, with their father every day in 2006. The corresponding percentages who ate with their mother were 58 percent and 80 percent. (The percentages of children who ate breakfast with their mother or father, respectively, were not significantly different from each another.)
36 percent
Percentage of children younger than 6 who had 15 or more outings with their father in the last month, as of 2006.
6 percent
Average times children ages 3 to 5 were read to by their fathers in the past week, as of 2006.
66 percent
Percentage of children younger than 6 who were praised three or more times a day by their fathers.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Dates indicate latest data available.