Fathers care now more than ever, but caring has never been harder – new study reveals half of the world’s fathers and mothers feel unsupported by society as they care for loved ones

• One in four fathers refinanced or sold their homes for care responsibilities
• Half of fathers have picked up second or third jobs to make ends meet
• Over 60% of fathers work overtime to survive
• Three in 4 fathers lose sleep over their financial future
• Over half of parents have to tap into emergency funds for survival
• 87% of fathers say time with their newborns is a source of health and happiness
• More than half of both mothers and fathers say political activism for care matters to them
• Fewer than half of fathers know that parenting support exists for them
• Parents are making 6 to 8 separate sacrifices to provide care for children
• 70% of fathers identify financial provision as a father’s core role
• Nine in 10 mothers and fathers say caring for children and loved ones is one of the most enjoyable things in their lives
• Nearly half of all fathers believe that men who are full-time fathers are not really men
• Over 90% of fathers say they value what they do in the home as much as paid work
• 87% of fathers say they aren’t getting the parenting support they need
• Over 64% of fathers would be willing to pay higher taxes for more public care services
  
  

MELBOURNE, Australia, April 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New study released today – The State of the World’s Fathers 2026: Stretched to the Breaking Point – from Equimundo: Center for Masculinities and Social Justice reveals that fathers value care more than ever – but are stretched to breaking point. Fathers (and mothers) don’t have the time, resources, or support to care for their families without constant strain. Fathers want to care, but it comes at a steep cost. Economic precarity underpins the daily sacrifices parents across the globe are forced to make to provide care for children – draining savings, cutting hours, staying in jobs they want to leave, and giving up study and leisure time. More than 4 out of 5 parents say their employer won’t allow flexible working; and only 39 percent of fathers have been offered parenting support – fewer than half know that it exists.

The findings are clear. Equality in who does the care work is increasing, but the stress on families' ability to provide care has also steadily increased, inhibiting parents’ ability to care for their loved ones. And more caregiving sacrifices mean more distress – playing out in increased anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and higher alcohol consumption, among other outcomes.

The report’s “sacrifice scorecard” asked the world’s parents and caregivers what they have had to give up in order to care for their loved ones – the one in four who have had to refinance their homes to pay for care services, the one in three who turned down a professional advancement to provide care, the three-quarters who have worked overtime to bring home extra pay, and the half who have taken on a second or third job to increase their income.

This is a crisis of care. And it’s care that still matters most to the world’s fathers. Fathers want to be present and active in the daily lives of their children, but are held back by norms and policies that have not caught up with their intentions. Their needs are not met by workplaces and public services. The good news is that fathers are ready, along with mothers, to act for, demand, and vote for the care.

The State of the World’s Fathers is a new study based on online panels of 8,000 parents and caregivers across 16 countries (including 400 in-depth interviews), providing data-driven insight into the emotional, economic, and social pressures facing the world’s fathers, shedding light on their biggest challenges, and what matters most to them. Equimundo has carried out this landmark analysis of fatherhood every two years since 2015, and the trends are clear: whilst fathers are caring more equally now than ever, they are facing an equal share of the stresses.

The latest 2026 study is one of the only global-reaching studies of men's involvement in parenting and care work, examining the impacts of ideas of masculinity on father’s health, relationships, and politics, and the implications for father’s ability to care for their families. The report provides a call to action for decision-makers across the globe to better support the world’s parents, making sustainable, equitable, and transformative changes so that all children, parents, and carers can flourish.

Whilst the majority of fathers say that caring for and spending time with loved ones makes them happy, the new data also reveals that the world’s fathers are becoming disconnected: almost 4 in 10 say they do not trust government representatives, and the same number hold conservative beliefs. The data also highlights that young men – the fathers of the future – are retreating to more traditional, unequal gendered beliefs about care. Nearly half of all fathers believe that men who are full-time fathers are not real men. 40 percent think boys should not be taught to cook, clean, sew, or take care of their siblings. And the study shows that these traditional beliefs impact relationships. Men with traditional beliefs are 45 percent more likely to experience conflict in a relationship, but partners who discuss their way to equal care – rejecting traditional norms – report higher levels of care enjoyment, and a reduced risk to well-being. The new study shows that parents across the globe are united in their main worries – economic precarity and affordability, and concerns for their children’s online lives – and in their desire to care for children and their loved ones. The new research dismantles myths that men don’t care. Fathers haven't turned their back on caregiving – they care now more than ever.

At a time when our world struggles with conflict, climate change, online hate and harm, and economic crises, care is critical. This study helps challenge polarising narratives and traditional beliefs around caregiving, showing that fathers want to care equally with mothers, and are doing more caregiving than ever. The study asks decision-makers across the globe to better welcome fathers into caregiving – not as helpers, but as equals. These demands come at a time when decades of women’s movements are under threat, as restrictive notions of masculinity are promoted by politicians and influencers seeking profit and notoriety. Acting on these calls for change, Equimundo is leading the MenCare Changemaker Initiative, a global initiative bringing together policymakers, media voices, the corporate sector, and funders to promote system changes to promote caring manhood.

Gary Barker, President and CEO, Equimundo says; “The good news is that around the world men are doing more of the care work and finding meaning and happiness in doing so. But the data also tell us that families everywhere face enormous challenges to provide basic care. It’s time for men to join women to demand and advocate for the care services we all need.”

The State of the World’s Fathers 2026 arrives ten years after its first edition and is one of the only global studies of men’s involvement in parenting and care work. The previous State of the World’s Father’s 2023 report is available here.

Press contacts 
Rebecca Ladbury 
rebecca@ladburypr.com 
+447941 224 975

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/acfaa3fc-571b-4c3c-969f-9a6a7bd8ee67

source: Equimundo: Center for Masculinities and Social Justice