The Changing Role of Fathers: Tradition Transformed

2. Tradition Transformed • During 1960s, approximately 80% of men were in the US workforce and the vast majority of women/wives stayed at home. During 2012, just 66.8% of men had jobs, the lowest on record, while 55.5% of women were working, nearing the all-time mark. • Today’s fathers are not shedding their role as breadwinner, although that is the case with some, but recognizing they have much to contribute as a nurturer of children, a household consumer and a truly equal partner with their spouse or significant other. • As men/fathers make this transition – and, in most cases, willingly and gladly – retailers must also transform the shopping environment, the products and services offered and the message content of their marketing and advertising.

3. A Major Generational Shift • The retiring Baby Boomers were the children of the 50s and 60s who lived in households based on the traditional model of father as breadwinner and mother as housewife and the primary caregiver of children. • Today’s fathers are the children and grandchildren of Baby Boomers. As they experienced the gradual changes in the roles of their parents, forged from the social revolution of the 60s, they accepted those changes as the new norm and gave them their own spin. • There were an estimated 70.1 million fathers during 2013, with approximately 60 million from 20 to 49 years of age. Of these, 24.7 million were married with children younger than 18; and 21%, or approximately 5.2 million, were raising three or more younger than 18.

4. An Increasing Number of Single Fathers • From 1960 to 2011, single-father households increased 9 times, from less than 300,000 to more than 2.6 million, while single-mother households increased a bit more than 4.5 times, from 1.9 million to 8.6 million. During 2011, single fathers headed 24% of all US households. • A significant increase in non-marital births, a high divorce rate and a legal system that allows more fathers to gain partial or total custody of their children are the major factors that have resulted in more single-father and single-mother households. • Most single fathers during 2011 were 30–39 years of age, at 34%; 56% were white; 32% had a high school diploma and some college; 24% were living at or below the poverty level; and their median adjusted annual household income was $40,000.

5. Stay-at-Home Dads • The US Census Bureau states that there were 214,000 stay-at-home dads during 2012 while The Pew Research Center estimated the total to be 2.0 million, as its definition is different and includes multiple factors for why dads were staying at home. • Although 23% of the fathers Pew surveyed said they were home because of the high unemployment rate during the first year of recessionary recovery, an almost equal number, 21%, said they were staying at home to be care for their children. This number is four times what it was during 1989. • The other factors that contributed to dads staying at home included being ill or disabled, 35% during 2012, compared to 56% for 1989, and in school, retired or other, 22%, compared to 25% for 1989.

6. The Work-at-Home Factor • Stay-at-home advocates are convinced that more fathers work at home, either full-time or part-time, as freelancers and consultants, or work a different shift than their spouse or significant other, which is not reflected in US Census Bureau estimates. • A 2014 report revealed that 52% of the 30 million full-time or part-time independent workers were men; and 28% were Millennials and 29% were members of Generation X members, the prime fatherhood years. Plus, 15% earned more than $100,000 a year. • According to data from The Williams Institute, there are approximately 2.05 million LGBT men younger than 50 years of age, either living alone or with a spouse, raising a child younger than 18.

7. Dad at Home Frees Mom to Advance • Although a 2013 Pew Research Center survey found that the public thinks that it is better for women to remain at home and care for children than men, other studies have revealed that there are many benefits of fathers being caregivers, and not just providers. • This opinion doesn’t appear to match with the reality, however, as US Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed that 57.2% of all women of working age (127.1 million during 2013) were in the labor force. The percent was even higher – 69.9% – for mothers with children younger than 18. • In addition, a number of economists calculate that if women were paid as much as men, then the US GDP would gain another 9%.

8. Inside Dads’ Brains • Researchers at Bar-Ilan University in Israel have uncovered evidence that there is a neural network in the brain dedicated to parenting – and it is evident in men as well as women. • There are differences, however, as the activity of women’s emotion-processing portions of the brain are 5 times that of men when they are secondary child caregivers. Fathers are apt to have more brain activity in the portion focused on logical tasks. • Fathers use cognitive, or thinking, functions when parenting their children while mothers are more emotional. A father’s brain will show a high degree of activity in both of these regions when he is the primary caregiver.

9. Better for Everyone • Other studies of middle-class men in the US, Canada and Scandinavia found that as men’s role as caregiver of their children increases, there is less violence against women, less delinquency among children, better martial sex lives and women earn more money. • There is also research that suggests fathers contribute to children’s development of a strong personal identity, which in turn strengthens social, emotional and thinking skills and activities. • The increased love and support of a father can also reduce a child’s likelihood of having behavioral or substance abuse issues.

10. Dumb Dad in the Media • Too often dads are portrayed in the media as unable to cope with children and the home environment, to cause problems for their spouses and are just downright stupid and lazy. • A survey of fathers from Unilever USA found that 75% said they are integrally involved in their children’s emotional health, but only 20% think the media is portraying the reality they live every day. • There is also some evidence that portraying dad’s emotional quality is appealing to female consumers and increases their positive outlook about the importance of men’s larger role in the family dynamic.

11. Dad in the Store Aisles • According to a 2013 Yahoo survey of more than 1,000 fathers, 60% said they are the primary decision-maker for CPG products, 55% for personal care products, 54% for home goods and 43% for child and baby products. • They don’t just make the decisions, however, they are also responsible for the related tasks: 51% do the grocery shopping, 41% the laundry, 40% house cleaning and 39% cooking meals. • Dads say that the advertising they see for many household products, which have traditionally targeted mothers, don’t appeal to them. As many as 66% think clothing and apparel ads “ignore them”; followed by personal care, 61%; child and baby care, 57%; and house/home goods, 52%.

12. Dad Is His Own Shopper • BrandSpark International, a Canadian-based CPG research firm, found in a 2014 study that when men and women are not parents, the effort to reduce spending on everyday items is almost equal, 35% and 40%, respectively. • The numbers are quite different when they are parents, however, as 47% of women try to reduce spending, but only 29% of men. It would seem that brands and retailers would want to appeal to the segment of the market that is willing to spend more. • The research also suggests that dads are more likely to be impulse shoppers because only 29% create the family’s shopping list, compared to 84% for mothers, and only half of what is on dad’s list identifies specific brands.

13. Other Ways Dad Parts Ways with Mom When Shopping • Dads like to shop while mothers consider it a chore. • Dads are more conscious of brands and less likely to buy generic, but more likely to buy a brand from their childhood. • New products appeal to dads more than moms. • Approximately 80% of dads search various online resources to help them make brand and product choices. • Dads are just a bit more likely to recommend stores to others than moms.

14. Stocking the Pantry • According to data from The NPD Group, men are the primary grocery shopper in 40% of US households, which totals 40 million. Of these, approximately 24% are members of a household with more than one person. • Data from another source indicates that more than 50% of Millennial men, 18–34, do most of the grocery shopping for their households. Plus, Nielsen reports that during 2012, men spent $35.26 per supermarket trip, which is approximately 30% more than during 2004, or $27.49. • The primary marketing channels for dads to gather shopping information during 2012 were in-store promotions, 57%; advertising, 50%; traditional media, 40%; and word of mouth, 38%.

15. Shopping Other Stores • Women dominate the shopping for beauty, baby and various baking products, from 74% to 90% and buy these products with more frequency; however, men tend to spend more per trip for many of these categories. • Not surprisingly, men dominate convenience store shopping, with 57% making these trips, compared to 43% for women. • An AOL study found that almost half of all men surveyed said they do most of the back-to-school shopping; however, they require trips to 3 stores, on average, while moms shop at 2.5 stores.

16. Dads Don’t Resist Personal Pampering • The 21st Century Dad is quite different than his traditional counterpart when it comes to spending on personal care products and services. • According to 2011 data from Scarborough Research, 5% of dads visited a spa, where 30% bought cosmetics, perfumes and skin care items and spent $140 annually for these products. • Dads also spent almost as much for children’s clothing as business clothing during a one-year period, at $248 and $253, respectively.

17. Young Dads Love Tech • An enormous opportunity for major brands and retailers of any size is to reach dads, especially new Millennial dads, through social media and the mobile channel. • A 2012 study revealed that 42% of new dads in the US (oldest child 2 years of age or younger) who are active on social networks upload family-related content every day. • Although logic would seem to dictate that Millennial moms have more online friends, actually Millennial dads have 96, on average, compared to 70 for moms.

18. Dads Are Mobile • Almost 70% of dads with smartphones would like to receive mobile promotions from brands and retailers once they are opted-in, compared to 60% for mobile moms. • Of those dads surveyed, 58% took action when receiving a mobile promotions or coupon. For moms, it was 46%. • Approximately the same percentage of mobile dads and moms – 81% and 79%, respectively – think local mobile offers would be useful. More dads own a tablet than moms, 55% and 39%, respectively.

19. It’s Time to Change with Dads • With Millennials soon to outnumber Baby Boomers and beginning to enter their prime parenting, home buying and household formation years, the changes in the role of fathers, as presented in this Special Report from THE MEDIACENTER, will only continue to increase. • Mainstream media and most of the major brands are still lagging behind this significant trend and can’t hope to maximize sales from the 21st Century Dad until their marketing and advertising messages match reality. • Local retailers who show more men, especially young men, in print ads, other traditional media and TV commercials, where mothers have been traditionally portrayed, and use social media to engage with this audience are just a few of the easy and simple changes small businesses can initiate immediately.