Father’s Day Index 2020: Dad gets a quarantine raise

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Father’s Day around the country conjures images of breakfast in bed, grilling burgers and dogs on the patio, and lavishing praise for handmade cards from the kids. And it’s a good thing, too, because all of those things can be done under full or loosened shelter-in-place orders.

As many areas across the country are in various phases of re-opening after several weeks – or even months – due to the COVID-19 pandemic, dads (and moms) are likely breathing a sigh of relief as this season of homeschooling comes to an end.

Each year, the Insure.com team highlights dad’s responsibilities at home and acknowledges what his “salary” should be for these tasks. For the past 10 years, Insure.com has based the salary’s value on the most recent salary data available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics using the most relevant job titles.

Dad’s value is the highest yet

Events occurring this year have been unprecedented in many ways. We’ve added on three extra responsibilities to dad’s list of duties plus one “bonus” task. This resulted in dad’s salary jumping up a staggering 40% from last year– bumping him to a salary of $37,835.

The jobs that increased the most in pay were:

+24% – Refuse and recyclable collector
+9% – Other teachers and instructors (homework helper)
+8% – Athletic coach, umpire
+6% – Laborers and freight movers
+6% – Computer systems manager

The jobs that stayed the same or decreased were:

+0.2% – Plumbers
+0.1% – Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators
-1% – Taxi drivers and chauffeurs
-9% – Recreation and fitness workers

Overall, dad’s “salary” jumped by 5% even without adding the new jobs.

“Moms and dads have had a lot of extra tasks and stress these last few months when many have been home 24/7 with the whole family,” notes Insure.com’s senior consumer analyst, Penny Gusner. “While there is no real paycheck to thank dad for his contributions at home, hopefully, the kids will show their love and respect in other ways this Father’s Day.”

Father’s Day job values index 2020

BLS occupation title	Father’s job description	Hours per week	Weeks per year	Mean hourly wage	Change from 2019	Annual earnings (rounded)
Cooks	Barbecuing	3	52	$13.38	3%	$2,087
Taxi drivers and chauffeurs	Driving	9	52	$15.60	-1%	$7,301
Other teachers and instructors	Helping with homework	10	40	$29.75	9%	$11,900
Accountants and auditors	Family finances	0.5	52	$35.48	1%	$922
Grounds Maintenance Workers	Mowing the lawn, landscaping, snow removal	2	52	$15.18	5%	$1,578
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers	Moving furniture	2	3	$16.43	6%	$99
Automotive service technicians and mechanics	Car maintenance	2	10	$20.28	1%	$406
Athletes, coaches, umpires, and related workers	Coaching a team	4	10	$28.35	8%	$1,134
Recreation and fitness workers	Scout leader	5	10	$16.40	-9%	$820
Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators	Assembly of toys, bookshelves, etc.	3	10	$18.10	0.1%	$543
Pest control workers	Pest removal (spiders and gross bugs)	1	4	$18.53	2%	$74
Maintenance and repair workers, general	Handyman	8	6	$22.08	1%	$1,060
Pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters	Plumber	2	3	$22.95	0.2%	$138
Refuse and recyclable material collectors	Collecting trash, putting cans on the curb and goes to the dump if necessary.	0.5	52	$17.08	24%	$615
Computer and information systems managers	Sets up computers, cellphones and helps with issues.	1	45	$50.48	6%	$2,271
Judge	Breaking up fights, decide who is at fault and handing out punishment.	1	50	$44.85	3%	$2,243
TOTAL		54			5%	$33,191

Extra COVID-19 task for dads

BLS occupation title	Father’s job description	Hours per week	Weeks per year	Mean hourly wage	Annual earnings
Elementary/Middle school teacher	Taking over or assisting with educational duties for distance learning children during school closures	20	8	$29.03	$4,644
				Grand Total	$37,835

Dad’s double-duty – or maybe triple

Dads are doing more than ever this year, so we added jobs to dad’s responsibilities. We now measure the value of 16 tasks, up from 13.

Jobs added to dad’s responsibilities and salary total this year:

Refuse and recyclable material collectors – It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s gotta do it. Dad might be tasked with those trash runs and separating all the recyclables. He might even be the person who flies out of bed early to put the trash at the curb on trash day.
Computer and information systems managers – “DAD! THE INTERNET’S NOT WORKING!!!” is the official Bat signal for dads, and dads answer the call. Acting as IT professionals (some with more qualifications than others), dads keep the Zoom meetings running and the Netflix binges streaming.
Judge – Breaking up sibling fights and doling out punishments is all part of the parenting gig. Both moms and dads had this extra job added to their plates. When the family is around each other ALL THE TIME, frequent dustups are inevitable.

The bonus job:

Teacher – While helping with homework has always been on the list, this year, dads and moms are both discovering just how bad they are at explaining the quadratic formula or how to diagram a sentence.

“Dads from every corner of the country had to dive into the homeschooling arena,” said Gusner. “Moms also had this job factored into their salary this year, but since the average household has more than one child, households with two parents were likely to divvy up the task,” Gusner explained. We’re hoping it’s a one-time gig for the dads (and moms) who prefer their kids are able attend a physical school with their classmates.

Multitasking meetings and mopping

Making it through a day of regular work can be exhausting all by itself. But now, more than ever, the multitasking required to accomplish not just a full day of work, but the maintenance at home and the education of children has really upped the multitasking game – accomplishing a hefty number of chores per week.

While we are assigning these tasks to fathers, we know that parents, grandparents, family and friends may play a vital in the care and comfort of children and upkeep of the household. Use our index as a reminder to show your appreciation to all caregivers that help provide and care for you and your household.

Could you do it by yourself?

The stakes have never been higher for much of the country – particularly for our vulnerable population or those caring for those who are high risk. The COVID-19 crisis has put incredible pressure on us to have tough conversations with our loved ones about loss.

Insure.com presents this annual survey to demonstrate just how much is involved in the care of running your home and caring for a family – whether you are the primary caregiver or the primary paycheck – or both. If your partner or spouse were to die, would you and your family have the money and resources to survive and sustain without that loved one? Our survey assigns a salary to these household chores because in the event of a death, you might be unable to complete everything that needs to be done and would need to hire help for child care, housekeeping or cooking.

Life insurance helps to take care of your family when you can’t

If you were to die, your life insurance policy would ensure that your family can pay for immediate expenses, such as funeral arrangements, mortgage or rent, utilities, food, and childcare. If you paid into a policy with a larger payout amount, that money can be used to help with sustaining the quality of life of your family or paying for expenses in the future, such as college and paying off debts or a mortgage.

“Kids keep parents very focused on the present moment… ‘What’s for dinner? What time is my game? Ugh, my sister broke my game console!’” says Gusner, “But the reality is that we have to be prepared for the future as well. We stress about and try to prepare for the costs of sending a child to college, but the financial effects of a death in the family can be devastating to our family’s plan. Fortunately, purchasing a life insurance policy is far easier than any college application!”

Turn this dad to-do into a dad ta-da

In less time than it takes to grill your signature chicken thighs, you can use Insure.com’s life insurance tools:

Life Insurance Advisor offers a fast questionnaire about your assets to understand what is important to cover.
Life Insurance Calculator walks you through seven simple questions to determine an estimate of a policy size as well as the type of policy to consider.

After you use those tools, you can easily request policy quotes from the best life insurance companies in the country.

After receiving your quotes, talk with your partner about the idea of making certain the family will be financially secure should you die. Present your estimated costs of what’s needed for life insurance coverage and at least three estimates to discuss your budget options.

Companies often offer life insurance policies. Though that’s a good start, an employer-based life insurance policy is typically not going to be enough money to protect your family. And since it also doesn’t travel with you if you leave that employer, it’s important that it’s the cherry on the life-insurance sundae and not the whole dessert.

When it comes to life insurance, anything is better than nothing. Since you’ve shopped around, commit to a policy that gives you peace of mind without breaking the bank. In fact, here are some simple swaps might help you pay for your policy.

Be the hero your kids believe you are

While you might not be wearing a cape or stretchy pants, the ability to do hard things is truly what makes a hero. This Father’s Day, the team at Insure.com wants you to know that you are nailing this dad thing. You’ve been there through the late nights, early mornings, tears, tantrums, and so much more. You’ve been there for them when you can, and here’s the best way to be there for them – even when you can’t.

Also, we think you could totally rock a cape.

Methodology

“Dad’s value” is based on occupational wages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and does not include a salary from work outside the home. It is calculated using a list of common household tasks that fathers often perform.

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