Kim Parker of the Pew Research Center wrote a new feature about today's fathers, using data from recent Pew Research Center reports.



These reports indicate that:

1. Whereas this used to be the dominant arrangement in the 1960s, now fewer dads are their family's sole breadwinner, something about which the public appears to have conflicted feelings: while most support the idea of dual-income households where husbands and wives take care of house and family equally, three-quarters of those polled also say that "having more women in the workplace makes it harder for parents to raise children."
2. The distribution of labor between mothers and fathers has become more equal as today's dads are taking on more housework and childcare duties.
3. Fathers are spending more time with their children, and yet feel that they are still not spending enough time with them.
4. Today's fathers, just like their spouses, report that they find it difficult to balance work and family, and that "they would prefer to be home with their children but they need to work because they need the income."
5. A growing number of children are living apart from their fathers, in spite of the fact that most Americans believe that children need a father in the home in order to grow up happily.