One-third of fathers with working wives are now the regular caregivers for their children, the result of the depressed economy and large numbers of out-of-work men, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today.

The number of such dads caring for children under age 15 increased to 32 percent in 2010 from 26 percent in 2002. Among those fathers with preschool-age children, one in five served as the adult who spends the most time with the child, the census found.

The recession has spurred the number of fathers with an active role in child care, which has been increasing since at least 1988, said Lynda Laughlin, a family demographer at the Census Bureau.

“The economy hasn’t completely rebounded, particularly for men,” Laughlin said. “What did they label it, a ‘mancession?'”

The economic downturn initially had a greater effect on men than women, with males losing more net jobs between December of 2007 and May of 2011, according to a July report from the Pew Research Center. Men have regained jobs more quickly in the recovery, the Pew study found.

During recessions, fathers spend more time as partial and primary caregivers of children, Laughlin said, partly because unemployment or changes in work hours increase the availability of fathers to do so. “It also can reduce available income to pay for child care outside of the home,” she said.

Unemployed Fathers

The new statistics, from the Census Survey of Income and Program Participation, showed that 54 percent of unemployed fathers with a working wife and preschool-age children are primary caregivers, while just 17 percent of employed fathers in the same situation are primary caregivers.

Grandparents continued to serve as important sources of child care for preschoolers, the census found. In households with working moms in 2010, 30 percent of preschoolers were regularly cared for by their grandparents, 29 percent by their fathers and 12 percent from a sibling or other relative.

The census also found that preschoolers with employed black mothers were more likely to be cared for by their grandparents than their fathers -- 29 percent compared with 22 percent. A third of Hispanic preschoolers were regularly taken care of by their grandparent, compared with 29 percent who received care from their fathers. (Bloomberg)