UPDATE: 1999 NCF Poll

"FATHERING IN AMERICA"

Over the past fifty years, the face of fatherhood has changed dramatically. Expectations for fathers have shifted, and dads have received varying degrees of appreciation for the role that they fulfill.

Historically, we can place American fathers in the following general categories:In the 50's and 60's, men were considered good dads if they were breadwinners and disciplinarians. In the 70's, involved fathers participated in their child's birth and helped shoulder domestic chores. In the 80's, earnest fathers began to get in touch with their feelings and the feelings of their kids. In the 90's, fathers were expected to balance work and family, while their roles became more diverse and challenging: stay-at-homes dads, step-dads, single custodial caretaking fathers, surrogate fathers and more.

Fathers of the next millennium will contend with many of these changes as they answer the question, What does a good dad do?

The National Center for Fathering has followed fathering trends through three national random opinion polls in the 90's—joint polls with the Gallup organization in 1992 and 1996, and a repeat of the same poll on their own in 1999.

The following data highlights seven captivating facts from the 1999 poll.

1. The Extent of Father-Deprived Children
2. Unresolved Father Problems
3. Our Awareness of Our Children's Lives
4. The Positive Impact of Father-Time
5. Mother's Views on Fathers' Performance
6. Tension Faced by Working Fathers
7. The Power of Being Involved in Your Child's Life
8. Summary of Questions and Responses

The survey results are based on telephone interviews with national samples in 1992 (n=1,010), 1996 (n=793) and 1999 (n=928). For results based on sample size, one can say with 95% confidence that the error attributable to sampling and random effects could be plus or minus three points.