Iowa Dads Might Appreciate This New Study
Father's Day is this Sunday and it's time to celebrate dear old dad. This year, let's make sure to show our dads we appreciate all they have done for us. We all might take Dad for granted at points in our lives but he's normally one of our biggest cheerleaders and the man who always bought us the bag of Skittles when we were done shopping.
My mom always said no, we were about to have dinner but Dad didn't care. He'd buy them for me anyway.
Being a dad has evolved and changed over the years. Back in the 60s, most families relied on a single-income home, according to WalletHub. Most of the time, this meant Dad spent a lot of his time working to support the family, and Mom was at home raising the family. Not all families were like this but 75% of families had this family dynamic.
In 2023, the family dynamic has changed pretty drastically. WalletHub reports that about 72% of married mothers work while 94% of married fathers work but that gap has been closing over time.
Fathers aren't just expected to go to work and come home to eat dinner, watch the ball game, then go to sleep. Dads in 2023 have been expected to take on a lot more of the childcare duties. Once again, not all families are like this but this is the scenario for more families than not, in 2023.
What Are The Best States For Working Dads?
I have some pretty good news for any Dad who happens to live in Iowa or is thinking of moving to Iowa. The Hawkeye State is a pretty solid place to live in if you're a working father.
WalletHub compared all 50 states for fathers in the U.S. They used 23 indicators in their study, ranging from friendliness toward working fathers, the average length of the work day for men, child care, and men in good/better health.
According to this study, Iowa is the 16th best state for working dads. Not too shabby! Could Iowa improve? Most Definitely. Being in the top 16 sure beats being in the bottom 16.
Iowa received pretty solid scores in the Economic & Social Well-Being category, as well as Health. Where Iowa falls off a bit is in the Work-Life Balance and Child Care categories. There are a lot of farmers in Iowa who work every single day to feed America, so it's pretty easy to understand why Work-Life Balance affected Iowa's score heavily.
If you can see your dad on Sunday, maybe stop by and talk to him for a bit. If you can't, make sure to give him a call. He'll appreciate it. Happy Father's Day to every father on Sunday!