Facts About Fathers

Thursday, 2 September 2004, 12:19 am
Press Release: Statistics New Zealand

Facts About Fathers

A baby will be a Father's Day present for an estimated 170 men this year, according to latest ƒnƒnfigures from Statistics New Zealand.

Today's newborn babies have fathers who are, on average, three years older than the fathers ƒnƒnof newborns 20 years ago.

While the average age of fathers of new babies is increasing, only 1 in 100 babies will have a ƒnƒnfather aged 50 years or over.

Fathers with children under a year old get 42 minutes less sleep than the male average. ƒnƒnOver a lifetime, fathers average seven fewer Father¡¦s Days than mothers have Mother¡¦s Days. ƒnƒnThis is because men generally start parenting later in life and have shorter life spans than women.

Fathers living with children spent an average of 52 minutes a day socialising as a main activity ƒnƒn(compared with 73 minutes for mothers). However, these times can vary depending on whether they have a partner, their involvement in the labour force and the age of their children.

Over one-quarter (27 percent) of babies born in New Zealand last year had a father who was ƒnƒnborn overseas. In 2001, 18 percent of sole-parent families were fathers (33,366). Sole parenting is most ƒnƒncommon among older fathers, as they tend to care for older children.

Of the 406,440 couples with children living at home, 35 percent of fathers had one child at ƒnƒnhome. Thirty-nine percent of fathers had two children at home and the rest had more than two children living at home.

Brian Pink

Government Statistician

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