Translated by Rachel Alexander
In Mexico, fatherhood and level of education don’t have a strong relationship. At least, this is what was shown by a study completed by the Belisario Dominguez Institute of the Mexican Senate. Of the more than 22 million fathers, only 16 percent have college degrees, and 6.8 percent have no schooling at all.
The document, titled “Father’s Day: the Numbers Speak,” said that of the 30,738,862 homes in Mexico, men are the head of the household in 74.35 percent. It also indicates that the average age of fathers is 41, and that 465 homes are headed by one younger than 14.
The study also reports that, in 2009, 5.6 percent of fathers were illiterate, and these were concentrated mostly in the male population over 45. Of all male heads of households, 94.4 were literate, while 40.6 percent had not completed school as far as the ninth grade.
While 37.9 percent of fathers had more schooling than their partners, 31.3 percent had the same amount and 28.1 percent had less. Only 2.9 percent had no schooling.
Regarding employment, the study showed that, as of the end of March of this year, 22,260,196 (97.39 percent) male heads of households had a job; 594,930 were unemployed. In addition, more than 5 million worked in the informal sector.
With respect to certain benefits, the document mentions that more than half of working Mexican fathers do not have health insurance. In Mexico, 11,839,104 (51.8 percent) do not have coverage, while 6,860,310 (30 percent) had a job which guarantees this benefit.
MV Note: The statistic of 5 million men working in the informal sector doesn't jibe with other reports. Nearly 60% of Mexicans work in the informal sector, i.e. for cash and without health, pension or other benefits. A formal job is, by legal definition, one registered with the Social Security system so that the job holder receives health and other benefits guaranteed by law. The second statement made here, that 51.8 percent of men don't have health coverage, would indicate that this is the pecentage of men working in the informal economy.In addition, 2,941,801 houses with a male head of household (12.87 percent) did not have economic dependents; in 4,590,129 (20.08 percent), there was only one. In 6,141,000 households, there were two, and in 4,779,651, there were three.
The study also notes that Father’s Day originated in the United States, as an initiative of Smart Dood in 1910. President Calvin Coolidge made it a national holiday in 1924, and the date was set as the third Sunday in June by Lyndon Johnson in 1966. In Mexico, this date began being celebration in the 1950s. Spanish original