Millennial Dads Are More Involved, but Moms Are Still the C.E.O.s

Dads all over the U.S. are spending more time at home and stepping up in ways their dads and grandfathers never did. 

In a study that examined the changing dynamics occurring among Millennial Dads in the U.S., Pew Research¹ found that dads have tripled the amount of time they spend caring for their kids and doubled the amount of time they spend on housework, compared to 50 years ago.

And marketers are on board. Marketing to dad has become increasingly common – for good reason. It is clear that dads shouldn’t be ignored because they are playing an increasingly active role in the lives of their kids. 

However, when it comes to identifying who makes household purchase decisions, continue to look no further than moms.

After spending hundreds of hours conducting qualitative research with kids, moms and dads, one fact remains abundantly clear to us at MLN Research:

• Generally, moms still orchestrates their kids’ lives, make most of the purchase and scheduling decisions for kids, and do the majority of the household shopping.

Quantitative studies agree. It has long been reported that women drive three-quarters of all household purchases. Pew Research also uncovered that moms still have much more day-to-day involvement with the house and children than dads – moms spend 80% more time on housework and 75% more time on child care.1

So while dads are involved now more than ever, think of moms as the strategists and lead executors, and dads as the ones who execute alongside them.

This means that when kid and family brands look at how to spend their marketing dollars, it’s on rare occasion that priority should go to targeting dads over moms.

¹ Pew Research Center 2016 Survey Analysis: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/06/13/fathers-day-facts/