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-Editorial
Since Father’s Day just happened and 93.7% of married dads working last year compared to 71.1% of married moms, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2023’s Best & Worst States for Working Dads.
New Mexico came in as the worst state for working dads in spot 51 out of 51.
To help dads balance their dual role as parent and provider, WalletHub compared the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia across 23 key indicators of friendliness toward working dads. The data set ranges from the average length of the work day for men to child-care costs to the share of men in good or better health.
Best States for Working Dads 2023
- Massachusetts
- District of Columbia
- Connecticut
- Minnesota
- New Jersey
- Rhode Island
- Wisconsin
- New Hampshire
- Virginia
10. Washington
But balancing work with taking care of the family can be a daunting task.
“As work-and-home-life is less gendered than in previous decades, the issues for moms and dads are more similar than different. Balancing the hours spent at work with the hours spent with family continues to be challenging for both. With the costs associated with managing a household (e.g., mortgage/rent, repairs, utilities) rising, having an income that will provide for a family and create life satisfaction is one of the major issues faced. The stresses associated with financial hurdles take their toll on all aspects of family life which in turn can affect performance at work. Finding a family-responsive workplace is a concern. Dads want to be involved in the activities and care of their children. The ability to utilize flextime, parental leave, and telecommuting to engage and reduce the burden on a partner is an issue,” said Susan Turgeon, Ed.D., CFCS – Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
In the United States today, nearly 13.6 million single parents are raising over 21 million children. Single fathers are far less common than single mothers, constituting 16% of single-parent families.
According to Single Parent Magazine, the number of single fathers has increased by 60% in the last ten years and is one of the fastest-growing family situations in the United States. 60% of single fathers are divorced, by far the most common cause of this family situation. In addition, there is an increasing trend of men having children through surrogate mothers and raising them alone. While fathers are not normally seen as primary caregivers, statistics show that 90% of single fathers are employed, and 72% have a full-time job.
Little research has been done to suggest the hardships of the “single father as a caretaker” relationship; however, a great deal has been done on the hardships of a single-parent household. Single-parent households tend to find difficulty with the lack of help they receive. More often than not a single parent finds it difficult to find help because there is a lack of support, whether it be a second parent or other family members. This tends to put a strain on not only the parent but also the relationship between the parent and their child. Furthermore, dependency is a hardship that many parents find difficult to overcome.
