Father’s Day 2011 study reveals contrasting facts about fatherhood

Father's Day Report: "A Tale of Two Fathers"

Father's Day 2011 is celebrated this Sunday in many countries including the United States. This once-obscure holiday has gone mainstream as the role of fathers has changed over the years.

This role or lack thereof has been highlighted by a study released by the Pew Research Center. The report shows conflicting trends about fatherhood in the United States.

According to the study "A Tale of Two Fathers," the presentation of which aptly coincides with Father's Day 2011, married fathers are far more involved today in rearing children compared to their counterparts 40 years ago. However, the percentage of fathers living apart from the kids has more than doubled in the last half-century.

About 50 percent of men under 45 years old admit to having kids out of wedlock and two out of three dads feel that their role is much tougher than what it was three decades ago.

Pew's survey reveals that more fathers are involved in caregiving, a domain which was once solely for their wives. Fathers now spend 6.5 hours per week on childcare, an increase from 2.6 hours in the 1960s.

The hours spent together with dad can spike this weekend as Father's Day 2011 is celebrated on Sunday with family-oriented activities.

Psychologists have always emphasized that the role of fathers is crucial, if not absolutely essential, in the formation of a good person but also beneficial to society as a whole.

"Father's Day reminds us parents that we have no more solemn obligation than to care for our children," President Barack Obama said on Wednesday. "But far too many young people in America grow up without their dads, and our families and communities are challenged as a result."

Pew's study on Father's Day 2011 comes as the recent report shows that U.S. marriages have dropped to a record-low and less than half of households in the country are run by married couples.

Posted by Melanie Mendoza on Saturday June 18 2011, 7:52 AM EST. Ref: AP. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0