The idea of Father’s Day was conceived 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
— June 19, 1910, proclaimed by Spokane’s mayor because
it was the month of William 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.
66.3 million
Estimated number of fathers across the nation today. (From unpublished
data.)
Remembering Dad
102 million
The number of Father’s Day cards expected to be given this year
in the United States, making Father’s Day the fifth-largest
card-sending occasion. (Source: Hallmark research)
50%
Percentage of all Father’s Day cards that are purchased specifically
by sons and/or daughters. Nearly 20 percent of Father’s Day
cards are purchased by wives for their husbands; the remaining cards
are bought for grandfathers, sons, brothers, uncles and “someone
special.” (Source: Hallmark research)
73%
Percentage of Americans who plan to celebrate or acknowledge Father’s
Day. (Source: Hallmark research and National Retail Federation.)
- Neckties lead the list of Father’s Day gifts. A good place
to buy dad a tie or a shirt might be one of 9,189 men’s clothing
stores around the country in 2003.
<http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/03cbp/cbp03-1.pdf>
- Other items high on the list of Father’s Day gifts include
those items you may find in dad’s toolbox such as hammers,
wrenches and screwdrivers. You could buy some of these items for
dad at one of the nation’s 14,864 hardware stores or 5,795
home centers in 2003.
<http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/03cbp/cbp03-1.pdf>
22,410
Number of sporting goods stores in 2003. These stores are good places
to purchase traditional gifts for dad such as fishing rods and golf
clubs. <http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/03cbp/cbp03-1.pdf>
Mr. Mom
143,000
Estimated number of “stay-at-home” dads. These married fathers
with children under 15 years old have remained out of the labor force
for more than one year primarily so they can care for the family while
their wives work outside the home. These fathers cared for 245,000 children
under 15. <http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hh-fam.html>
20%
Percentage of fathers with employed wives who were the primary caregiver
for their preschooler. In contrast, 6 percent of fathers provided the
most hours of care for their grade-school-aged child.
<http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/p70-101.pdf>
32%
Percentage of fathers who regularly worked evening or night shifts and
were the primary source of care for their preschoolers during their
children’s mother’s working hours. For fathers working part-time,
the proportion was 38 percent. For fathers who were not employed, it
was 52 percent. <http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/p70-101.pdf>
How Many Fathers?
26.4 million
Number of fathers who are part of married-couple families with their
own children under the age of 18.
Among these —
2.3 million
Number of single fathers, up from 400,000 in 1970. Currently, among
single parents living with their children, 18 percent are men.
Among these fathers —
- 11 percent are raising three or more of their own children under
18 years old.
- 42 percent are divorced, 39 percent have never married, 15 percent
are separated and 4 percent are widowed. (The percentages of those
divorced and never married are not significantly different from one
another.)
- 16 percent live in the home of a relative or a nonrelative.
- 22 percent have an annual family income of $50,000 or more. <http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hh-fam/cps2004.html>
Child-Support Payments
4.6 million
Number of fathers who provide child support. All in all, 84 percent
of child-support providers are men, who provide median payments of $3,600
annually.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/004012.html>
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