In honor of Father’s Day, we took a look at the way college students view their parents after leaving the nest. While every student’s relationship with their parents is unique, a new survey of 14,570 current undergraduates identified some telling trends.
Male Students are More Likely to Say They’re Close to Their Father
How close is your current relationship with your father?
Male students are more likely than female students to say their current relationship with their father is extremely or very close (47% vs. 38%).
Students With Close Relationships With Their Father are Happier
Percent of students who say they have an extremely close relationship with their father.
More than one-fourth of students (27%) who say they’re extremely close to their fathers also say they’re extremely happy, compared to 14% of other students.
Male Students are Also More Likely to Say Their Father Was Present During Their Childhood
The majority of students say their father was extremely or very present during their childhood, but there is a small gender gap. Almost 7 in 10 male students (68%) say their father was extremely or very involved, compared to 6 in 10 female students (62%).
Students’ Relationships With Their Parents Have Improved Since Going to College
Nearly 6 in 10 students (59%) say their relationship with their parents got better after leaving for college. Only 9% say they got worse, while 32% say they stayed about the same.
Going to College Especially Improved the Relationship for Students Who Fought With Their Father
Percent of students who say their relationship with their parents got much better after going to college.
Four in 10 students (40%) who very frequently fought with their father growing up say their relationship with their parents got much better when they went off to college, compared to 24% of other students.
Stay-at-Home Dads are Rare
Did you have a stay-at-home parent growing up?
Current college students are eight times more likely to have a stay-at-home mom than a stay-at-home dad. Just 5% of students say their father stayed home with them, compared to 40% who had a stay-at-home mom. What’s more, students who did have a stay-at-home dad are more likely than other students to report having an extremely close relationship with their father (21% vs. 15%).
Most Male Students Say They’re Likely to Become a Father One Day
How likely do you think you are to have children?
The majority of male students (76%) say they are likely to have children at some point, compared to 71% of female students who say the same.
