How the Pandemic is Strengthening Fathers' Relationships with Their Children
June 2020
Is the global pandemic bringing fathers closer to their children?
Our research suggests that almost 70% of fathers across race, class, educational attainment, and political affiliation in the United States feel closer to their children during the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite the considerable challenges many families faced during the pandemic, one silver lining appears to be the strengthened relationships between fathers and children. Large numbers of fathers reported:
Having more meaningful conversations with their children
Getting to know their children better
Sharing more with their children about their own lives
Appreciating their children more
Discovering new, shared interests with their children
Read our report to learn more about the experiences of fathers during this unprecedented time.
Authored by Richard Weissbourd, Milena Batanova, Joseph McIntyre, and Eric Torres
Note: While the report focuses on dads in general, we want to underscore that parents in families that are widely varying in terms of structure, gender identity, sexual orientation, and many other characteristics may also be more closely involved with children during the pandemic given that they are more likely to be spending time at home with their children. We intend to explore and report on many of these variations as part of our ongoing work on family experiences during the pandemic.
“What we’re seeing here is that fathers, many of whom had previously been consumed by their work or absent from their households, have developed a new sense of closeness to their children during the pandemic.”
Key findings
68% of fathers report feeling closer or much closer to their children since the pandemic. (20% report feeling much closer, 48% report feeling closer, 31% report no change in their closeness to their children, and just over 1% report that they feel less close or much less close.)
57% of fathers report that they are appreciating their children more. (37% report no change.)
54% of fathers report that they’re paying more attention to their children’s feelings. (42% report no change.)
52% percent of fathers report that their children are talking to them more often about “things that are more important to them.” (40% report no change.)
51% report that they’re doing more activities with their children based on their children’s interests. (41% report no change.)
Note: For findings 2-5, a small percentage of fathers indicated that the statement about their interaction or relationship with their child(ren) was “not true,” implying that their level of each type of interaction had either stayed the same or decreased.
Read more in the full report (PDF).
