Where Does Father’s Day Rank In Holidays

Father’s Day is a popular holiday that celebrates fatherhood and paternal bonds. But where does it rank among other major holidays in terms of popularity and commercial spending? In this article, we’ll explore some interesting facts and figures about Father’s Day to understand where it stands compared to other big holidays like Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, and Christmas.

Father’s Day History and Origins

The first known Father’s Day celebration occurred in 1910 in Spokane, Washington organized by Sonora Smart Dodd. She conceived the idea of honoring fathers after listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909 while thinking about her own father who had raised six children by himself after her mother died.

Slowly over the next few decades, the holiday gained popularity and support. In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers and designating the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. Six years later, the day was made a permanent national holiday when President Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1972.

Commercialization of Father’s Day

The commercialization of Father’s Day began quite early on. As early as the 1920s, there were efforts by retailers to capitalize on the holiday’s growing popularity. By the 1930s, the Associated Men’s Wear Retailers group was promoting Father’s Day as a holiday to celebrate masculinity and buying men’s products as gifts.

According to the National Retail Federation, Americans spent over $16 billion on Father’s Day in 2018. This reflects a steady growth from around $12.7 billion in 2009. Clearly, while perhaps not as big as Mother’s Day yet, Father’s Day has developed into a hugely popular commercial holiday.

Father’s Day vs. Mother’s Day

In terms of overall popularity and consumer spending, Mother’s Day still ranks higher than Father’s Day. The National Retail Federation estimates that for 2018, Mother’s Day spending reached nearly $24 billion while Father’s Day spending was at $16 billion.

According to a survey by the Insure.com website, 73% of respondents planned to celebrate Mother’s Day in 2019 compared to 57% who planned to celebrate Father’s Day. Additionally, planned spending was nearly 50% more per person for Mother’s Day compared to Father’s Day.

Experts attribute the discrepancy in numbers to ingrained social traditions where mothers tend to be the primary caregivers and more central to family dynamics and emotional bonds. The numbers may be slowly equalizing over time but for now, Mother’s Day maintains its edge.

How Father’s Day Compares to Other Holidays

Beyond the natural comparison to Mother’s Day, how does Father’s Day compare against other popular holidays in terms of spending and observed participation? Here are some key numbers:

• Christmas: Clearly the king of spending holidays, Christmas tops the list with expected spending of over $1 trillion in the US for 2018 as per Deloitte’s annual holiday survey.
• Valentine’s Day: Another big contender driven largely by romantic partners expressing their love. Spending reached around $20.7 billion in 2018 as per NRF data.
• Easter: Driven by religious traditions as well as strong commercialization, Easter spending should hit nearly $18.2 billion in 2019 as per NRF projections.

As we can see, Father’s Day lags behind the top tier holiday heavyweights. But it still compares favorably against holidays like Halloween and St. Patrick’s Day in consumer spending. As its cultural significance continues to grow over time, expect Father’s Day marketing and promotions to expand accordingly as well.

Is Father’s Day an Underappreciated Holiday?

Based on the numbers, Father’s Day appears generally underappreciated compared to Mother’s Day and the biggest commercial spending holidays. However, there are signs this perception may be changing.

For instance, studies by consumer research firm NPD Group found that over 75% of consumers feel mothers and fathers should be equally celebrated on their respective holidays. And about 65% of consumers feel it’s important for marketers and retailers to make Father’s Day a bigger holiday.

With the dynamics of parenting and fatherhood evolving culturally, many feel Father’s Day deserves to be elevated to match the commercial scale of days like Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day. Retailers seem to be taking note based on the strong growth in Father’s Day spending over the past decade.

Key Audiences for Father’s Day Content

There are a few key target audiences who would find value in content focused on Father’s Day and it’s significance as a holiday:

• New fathers looking for ideas on how to celebrate their evolving role as a dad
• Male shoppers seeking gift recommendations for the fathers and father figures in their lives
• Retailers wanting to better understand Father’s Day’s commercial history and future opportunities
• Consumer researchers interested in comparing the cultural footprint of various holidays over time

Each audience segment would find an article like this helpful for education, ideas, or business strategy relevant to Father’s Day and it’s positioning among other major holidays.

The Future of Father’s Day

Father’s Day has certainly come a long way from its early beginnings in 1910. While still lagging behind days like Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day, its steadily growing cultural and commercial prominence points to a bright future.

As gender norms and family structures continue to evolve generationally, it’s likely that Father’s Day will incrementally close the perception gap compared to Mother’s Day. Much like we’ve seen the celebration and appreciation of fatherhood expand in popular culture through shows like “Father of the Bride” and “Daddy Day Care,” Father’s Day itself is poised for a bigger societal role.

Retail analysts already forecast Father’s Day spending to top $18 billion by 2025. And cultural observers expect fathers to be increasingly honored for taking a more active parenting role. For a holiday still in its relative youth, signs point to Father’s Day becoming a staple pillar in the pantheon of big commercial holidays over the next decade.