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The 100th Anniversary of Father's Day: A Council on Contemporary Families Media Advisory
CHICAGO, June 16 (AScribe Newswire) -- One hundred years ago, on June 19, 1910, the first Father's Day was celebrated in Spokane, Washington, after Sonora Dodd convinced the mayor that fathers such as hers, a widowed farmer who raised his six children, deserved their own day of recognition.
Unlike Mother's Day, politicians didn't immediately jump on the bandwagon. In fact, the holiday was met with mockery in its early years. Not until 1972 did President Richard M. Nixon sign the holiday into law. It has since become a day when Americans celebrate their fathers and father-like figures, including uncles, grandfathers, and even older brothers. Father's Day is also observed world-wide, with at least 52 countries setting aside a day to honor "dear old dad."
Fatherhood has changed dramatically since 1910, and even since 1972. While a father's job was once primarily to "bring home the bacon," dads are increasingly involved in all aspects of family life - reading to their kids, shuttling car pools, and offering a shoulder for the kids to cry on. Between 1965 and 2003, men tripled the amount of time they spent in child care.
But involved fatherhood remains a challenge, both because of the large numbers of children whose fathers are not in the home and because employers, government, and many members of the public still think that a dad's only real job is to provide economic support to his children and leave the nurturing to others.
In honor of Father's Day, here are some surprising and thought-provoking facts and figures about fatherhood today.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- April 14, 2010
CONTACT: Virginia Rutter/Framingham State College Sociology; 508-626-4863; vrutter@gmail.com
CCF Advice: How Do We Teach Children the Most Important Life Skills? from Ellen Galinsky
Chicago, IL: How do we use what we know? That is the theme of the Council on Contemporary Families' 13th annual conference this year. In connection with the conference, CCF is releasing a list of research-tested tips for building the seven life skills that children really need-and that parents can teach simply. The tip sheet is based on a preview of Work and Family Institute's Ellen Galinsky's new book, to be released April 20, which summarize her eight years-long review of research on child development and interviews with 75 of the leading researchers in this field.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- March 8, 2010
Contact: Stephanie Coontz; coontzs@msn.com; 360.352.8117; 360.556.9223 (cell)
FERTILITY INCREASES OF EARLY 21ST CENTURY WERE REVERSED IN 2008-09, REPORTS COUNCIL ON CONTEMPORARY FAMILIES
RECESSION MAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR DECLINE
According to recent news reports (e.g., New York Times, March 1, 2010), American birth rates rose during the first decade of the 21st century, and America has now reached the highest number of births ever recorded. This information comes from the annual report on births and pregnancy in the United States, published in the January 2010 edition of the journal Pediatrics.
But demographer Steven Martin of the Maryland Population Research Center points out that these data are from 2007, and "recent demographic trends have suddenly made the 2007 data obsolete." In fact, says Martin, "fertility fell slightly in 2008, dropping back to between 2005 and 2006 levels, and then fell more rapidly in early 2009." Martin suspects that the decline in fertility will turn out to be an effect of the recession, but "since fertility is a measure with a built-in 9 month lag, it will be some time before we see how far fertility has fallen as a result of the recession."
When new figures come out in early 2011, CCF will issue an update and fact sheet on fertility trends. Meanwhile, for questions regarding current fertility trends, please contact Steven Martin, Affiliate, Maryland Population Research Center: smartin@socy.umd.edu.
ABOUT CCF: The Council on Contemporary Families is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to providing the press and public with the latest research and best-practice findings about American families. Our members include demographers, economists, family therapists, historians, political scientists, psychologists, social workers, sociologists, as well as other family social scientists and practitioners. Founded in 1996 and based at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Council's mission is to enhance the national understanding of how and why contemporary families are changing, what needs and challenges they face, and how these needs can best be met.
CCF will hold its annual conference this year at Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois, on Friday 4/16 and Saturday 4/17, 2010. Featuring leading researchers and practitioners from around the nation, the conference will address the theme "Families as They Really Are: How Do We Use What We Know?" Speakers will address new research on close relationships, including new findings in the fields of couples therapy, divorce mediation, parenting, sexuality, and family health.
To receive regular briefing papers from the Council, or a complimentary press pass to the conference, contact CCF's Director of Research and Public Education, Stephanie Coontz, at coontzs@msn.com.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- August 2, 2009
CONTACT: Isabelle Cherney; cherneyi@creighton.edu; 402.280.1228
It is the time of summer when plenty of parents of small children are all "played out" and ready for the kids to be back in school. But for the kids, playing -- and how they play -- is extremely important for growing up healthy and smart. In "'Child's Play': It's Serious Business" (appended below), a fact sheet prepared for the Council on Contemporary Families, Creighton University psychologist Isabel Cherney explains findings from her laboratory observations of children's play.
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