What $61K in unpaid labor says about modern fatherhood

Dad’s $61k “salary” shows just how undervalued parenting still is

Credit: Canva / Motherly

The Father’s Day Index makes a critical point: if a caregiving parent were to suddenly be absent, the cost of replacing their labor is steep.

By Elizabeth Tenety Updated Jun. 23, 2025

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How much is fatherhood worth? According to Insure.com’s 2025 Father’s Day Index, the average American dad performs nearly $61,000 worth of unpaid labor each year. That estimate is based on an analysis of 17 household tasks using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data.

This symbolic “salary” includes common caregiving contributions: lawn care, homework help, cooking, tech support, and more. Each task is matched to a corresponding paid job title—like landscaper, cook, or IT manager—and calculated based on estimated hours worked per week.

The index is designed to highlight the economic value of caregiving, often performed invisibly and without pay. In 2025, the value of that unpaid work rose by 5.2%—growing even faster than the average U.S. wage growth of 3.9% as reported in the June 2025 BLS jobs report.

Dads are stepping up—but moms are still doing more

While $61,000 may sound significant, Insure.com’s comparable Mother’s Day Index valued moms’ unpaid labor at more than $145,000 this year. Same methodology. Same data source. More than double the value.

That stark gap tells a broader story: domestic labor in the U.S. remains deeply gendered. Even in households where dads contribute significantly, studies consistently show that moms still carry the bulk of the mental load, emotional labor, and day-to-day caregiving. And while dads often get praise for showing up, moms are expected to do it all—without recognition, let alone compensation.

Why this symbolic salary actually matters

Though no one’s cutting a paycheck for parenting, the Father’s Day Index makes a critical point: if a caregiving parent were to suddenly be absent, replacing the full scope of their labor would be both emotionally and financially overwhelming.

That’s why life insurance matters. According to the Insurance Barometer Study, 63% of dads report having life insurance, but 40% say it’s not enough. Cost is often cited as a barrier. Yet LIMRA data shows that most Americans overestimate the price of term life insurance—believing it costs 3x more than it actually does.

For example, a $500,000 policy for a healthy 35-year-old might run less than $45/month, based on LIMRA’s 2024 averages. That’s a small price to pay for a safety net that reflects the true value of parenting labor.

Parenting is work. It’s time our systems caught up.

While many dads are underinsured, even fewer moms—especially stay-at-home mothers—have life insurance. That gap has real consequences. If something were to happen, the emotional toll would be immeasurable—and so would the financial one. Replacing the full range of caregiving, household management, and emotional support a mother provides would come at a steep cost.

We need dads to keep stepping up. But we also need systems that catch up to the realities of modern caregiving. That means recognizing parenting as essential work and supporting it with real protections.Parenting is work. It’s time our systems caught up.

The Father’s Day Index helps shine a light on a bigger truth: most caregiving is still unpaid, unsupported, and under-recognized.

Real recognition for caregiving would look like:

Paid parental leave
Affordable childcare
Flexible work environments
Financial and social recognition for all caregivers, regardless of gender

Until then, we’ll keep naming the value of this work—because visibility is the first step toward change. Parenting is essential labor, and it’s time our systems treated it that way.

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