Today — Father’s Day — children of all ages will show their appreciation for their dads with gifts, cards or just spending time together. But for a growing number of men this Father’s Day, the best gift is one their kids can’t offer: a job.
For that we can blame our chronically sluggish economy — and our bankrupt leadership in Washington.
True, the nation churned out 217,000 new jobs in May. That means we’ve finally recovered all the jobs we’ve lost since the financial collapse, and the number countrywide is now at an all-time high. Even so, the picture is more complex.
As blogger James Pethokoukis notes, though America now has 113,000 more jobs than it did in December 2007, our working-age population grew by 16 million in that period. Pethokoukis cites an Economic Policy Institute analysis that shows, after accounting for population growth, the nation is still short some 7 million jobs.
Similarly, while it’s true that unemployment has fallen to 6.3% (from a high of 10% in 2009), this is partly because the workers who’ve given up looking for a job altogether aren’t counted in the unemployment rate. Today, the percentage of Americans who have jobs, or are actively seeking them, stands at a 36-year low.
For dads, being out of work can be devastating. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an average of 3.4 million dads were jobless during 2013. And though a Pew Research Center study this month suggests more fathers are “voluntarily” staying home, nearly a quarter are doing so because they can’t find work.
Pew further reports, notably, that half of all these dads live in poverty.
Of course, any family will suffer when a parent loses a job, whether it’s the mom or a dad who gets the pink slip. But let’s face it: Men make up a larger share of the work force. That means more families rely on the incomes of fathers, which makes these families vulnerable when the dads can’t find jobs.
And the toll when dad is out of work is not just economic. Unemployment, particularly for a long duration, puts stress on a marriage and on family dynamics. A Gallup survey this month shows that, among those out of work for a year or more, 20% say they’re now struggling with depression.
Maybe all this explains why 10-year-old Charlotte Bell some weeks back decided to present her dad’s résumé directly to First Lady Michelle Obama during a White House question-and-answer session for kids. Charlotte, whose mom works in the Executive Branch, was attending a “Take Our Son or Daughter to Work Day.”
“My dad’s been out of a job for three years, and I wanted to give you his résumé,” Charlotte told the First Lady.
On days like today, we’re likely to hear that a dad’s most important job is being a good father, and we couldn’t agree more. But often being a good father starts with having a good job. Something Mrs. Obama might want to remind the First Dad.