Survey: Louisiana dads have a tough way to go

A new survey ranks states by how well they treat working fathers. And Louisiana doesn’t do well.
The survey was conducted by WalletHub, the personal finance company.
The survey evaluated the states and the District of Columbia on 22 key indicators chosen to reflect how supporting each place is for working dads. The factors include average workday length, child care costs and the percentage of men in good health.
Louisiana:
•Ranked 50th overall
•Ranked 49th in male life expectancy
•Ranked 45th in the percentage of kids under 18 with dad present living in poverty
•Ranked 32nd in the rate of uninsured men
•Ranked 48th in the average length of the workday
•Ranked 46th in the percentage of physically active men.
“Working dads have to worry about much more than just how much income they’re bringing home to support their kids,” said Chip Lupo, WalletHub analyst. “They also have to make sure that their children’s childcare and education are adequate, their health is properly looked after, and they get enough quality time with their father. The best states for working dads provide the conditions for all these needs to be met, while also helping dads maintain their own physical and mental health.”
“The single biggest hurdle facing working dads today is the intense mental stress of navigating a modern culture that demands deep emotional presence at home while maintaining traditional expectations of full-time corporate performance,” said Andrew Burnstine, associate professor at Lynn University.
“Pew Research Center data shows that 50% of working fathers find it difficult to balance their job and family responsibilities. As standard work schedules collide with soccer practices and bedtime routines, a pervasive time deficit fuels a sense of parenting guilt, as highlighted by a Pew study revealing that 46 percent of working dads openly admit they do not spend enough time with their children.”
Working from home can have an impact on a father’s role in caring for children and housework.
“Working from home acts as a powerful catalyst for parental equity by placing fathers directly inside the domestic sphere during active childcare hours and eliminating long commutes,” Burnstine said. “Remote arrangements allow dads to take on a larger share of routine household chores and spontaneous child needs that historically fell entirely on mothers.”
Almost 1 in 5 stay-at-home parents are dads. While stay-at-home dads now account for 18% of all at-home parents, a deeper look at the data reveals that the primary drivers are a complex mix of personal choice, health circumstances, and macroeconomics.
According to Pew Research Center studies, only 23 percent of stay-at-home fathers cite family caregiving as their primary reason for being home, which contrasts sharply with stay-at-home mothers. “The largest single factor driving fathers to stay home is actually illness or disability at 34%, followed by 13% who are actively looking for work but cannot find open positions, and 8% who are currently attending school,” Burnstine said.