Study Shows Louisiana Dads Have It Rough- Here’s Why

Lafayette, LA (KPEL News) - You remember the joke that both parents raise a child and, when that kid gets in front of a camera, they inevitably proclaim, "Hi Mom!" Dads who are all in for their kids often get the short end of the proverbial stick. A recent report from Wallet Hub confirms that Louisiana dads have a rough time when it comes to several factors.

Once upon a time, fathers were the sole income earners in the household. Over the last 50 or so years, more mothers have entered the workforce. You'd think that would give dads a boost. As with many data reports, Louisiana ranks at the bottom of the list when it comes to dear ole dad.

Wallet Hub took the following four criteria into account in creating the list:

1. Economic & Social Well-Being
2. Work-Life Balance
3. Child Care
4. Health

Here's how Louisiana scored:

ECONOMIC & SOCIAL WELL-BEING

The Sportsman's Paradise ranked 33 out of 51. The study included the District of Columbia. The study took into account things like median income, unemployment rate, and the number of fathers with children who are living in poverty.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE

The lowest score for Louisiana of the four resulted from the calculation for Work-Life Balance. The authors took into consideration parental leave, the ability to work from home, time fathers spend on childcare, and how many hours a day these men work.

CHILD CARE

The criteria upon which this category was scored runs much deeper than childcare. They considered the cost and quality of child care in Louisiana, how many pediatricians are available per capita, and the quality of the school system. Louisiana ranked 44th.

HEALTH

The running joke is that men don't go to the doctor. Based on the information, that certainly seems to be true for fathers in Louisiana. The data was compiled on criteria like life expectancy, mental health, whether the men were in good health and physically active, the suicide rate, and whether they were insured. As you'd suspect, Louisiana didn't do well and is ranked at 45th in the Health category.

OVERALL SCORE

Based on an average of all of the scores in the four categories, Louisiana sits at #46. Massachusetts ranked #1 and New Mexico sits dead last at #51.