A father's work is never done

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With Father’s Day fast approaching, new Royal Mail study shines a light on the most common unpaid jobs - how long they take and the value they represent - undertaken by dads week in, week out

Dads across the country are kept busy doing DIY/small repairs (67%), driving family members around (64%) and maintaining the garden (56%)
More than one in ten (15%) expect their dads to do the work as it is part of ‘his job’

Of those who do show their gratitude, the majority say ‘thank you’ (70%) and nearly half (48%) are planning to post a Father’s Day card
Royal Mail wants to remind people that the last First Class post day for Father’s Day is Friday 19 June

With Father’s Day fast approaching and dads preparing to put their feet up for a rest, new research has revealed the extent – and value – of the unpaid, and often unnoticed, jobs that fathers do on a weekly basis.

The Royal Mail study, which questioned 2,000 people across the UK, found that the weekly ‘dad duties’ fathers are called upon to do range from small repair jobs such as putting up a shelf to offering financial advice.

The top ten ‘dad duties’ are:
1. DIY/small repair jobs (67%)
2. Driving family members around (64%)
3. Maintaining the garden (56%)
4. Fixing the car (49%)
5. Advising on financial matters (49%)
6. Decorating (49%)
7. Fixing plumbing issues (48%)
8. Fixing electrical problems (44%)
9. Cooking meals (39%)
10. Helping with IT and technology (24%)

When it comes to dads around the country, those in Scotland can be most often found behind the wheel driving family members around (74%), giving IT advice (29%) and fixing electrical problems (51%). In East Anglia, fathers are most likely to be doing small repair jobs (79%), maintaining the garden (72%) or have their head under the bonnet fixing the car (57%). Pops in the North West like to cook up a storm in the kitchen (47%) while their counterparts in the North East sort out the plumbing (54%). In the South East, dads are all about sprucing up the home by decorating (64%).

The most time consuming ‘dad duty’ is cooking meals which adds up to over two hours a week (8%). If they were to charge for this time the cost would be £53. This is closely followed by decorating, DIY/small repairs and fixing electrical problems (all 6%) which are worth a total of £230.

If you are looking for a long distance taxi driver, West Midlands based dads’ are your best bet as they clock up more than two hours behind the wheel a week (17%) - that’s the equivalent of £90. Once they get back home they spend the same amount of time doing DIY and small repairs (12%) which is worth a further £78 a week.

In the capital, money plays on the minds of fathers as they spend the majority of their time, over two hours, doling out financial advice (12%) all for free – compared to the going rate which is £350 (£175 an hour). Londoners also top the country for the longest time spent sprucing up the home by decorating (16%), fixing plumbing issues (11%) and sorting out any electrical issues (14%). Tasks which if charged would cost £238.

Children in the East Midlands should be paying as much as £60 a week for their fathers to maintain the garden as more than one in ten (11%) take over 2 hours to perfect their patch.

With dads spending all this time looking after our homes, it is good to know that more than half of us appreciate the work that our fathers do (59%). More than one in ten (15%) of us though believe that it is all part of dads role, with a tenth (9%) wishing that he would do more. East Midlanders expect more (18%) with Welsh families feeling let down about the little amount of work dads do (12%).

When we do say thanks the chosen method is a simple ‘thank you’ for over two thirds (70%) of those interviewed, followed by sending a Father’s Day card (48%) and a buying a gift (33%). Dads in the West Midlands are most likely to be whisked off to the pub (37%) while those in Wales are offered money for their hard work (14%).

A Royal Mail spokesperson said, "It’s clear that dads wear several hats in the family from handyman and decorator right the way through to taxi driver and financial adviser. The role of a dad is never quiet!

“It is sad to see then that they don’t always don’t get the appreciation they deserve for all their hard work. With Father’s Day looming, sending a card could be the perfect way to say thank you and show dad how much he means.”