15 Jun 2026 One-Pager: Dads Feel the Caregiving Squeeze, Too in Children
Recent polling conducted by the Bipartisan Policy Center with Global Strategy Group and North Star Opinion Research shows that gaps in caregiving support and access affect entire families—impacting workforce opportunities, workforce stability, and family finances across genders, income levels, and household types.
The numbers reflect that reality and underscore the need for family supports like paid family leave and better access to quality, affordable child care.
- In households where child care was needed, 56% of male respondents reported their household experienced a work disruption—missed shifts, reduced hours, or a job change.
- Forty-one percent reported someone in their household turned down more hours or a promotion.
- Male respondents reported caregiving’s impact on their household’s financial stability at a higher rate than women—64% compared to 58%.
- And 58% of male respondents say caregiving has affected their household’s ability to work or pursue education.
- The support gaps driving these outcomes are just as stark. Of male respondents whose households needed child care, 68% report receiving no government-based child care assistance.
- A further 32% report no paid leave—parental, family, or medical—is available to anyone in their household through their employment or education. Of those in households that report needing leave, more than half (55%) of male respondents say lost pay concerns kept someone from taking it.
- And 1 in 7 of those were not confident their job would be protected if they took it.
Among survey respondents, majorities of both men and women reported that caregiving affected their financial stability and their ability to work. Caregiving has long been framed as predominantly a women’s issue, but dads are more involved in parenting and caregiving than ever.
This Father’s Day, the data suggests dads are paying attention and feeling the impact too. As Congress considers child care, paid leave, and workforce supports, these findings are a reminder that the need for stronger caregiving support cuts across the whole family.
