Report · Culture

Americans most often blame gender norms for leaving fathers out of maternal healthcare

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In a Verasight survey of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted Nov. 14 to 20, 2025, Americans blamed gender norms for fathers being left out of maternal healthcare; 59% selected cultural and gender norms.

Other common reasons included fathers being seen as disinterested or unavailable (42%) and health systems not being designed to include fathers or partners (39%).

Topline

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Selected responses

59% of Americans selected cultural and gender norms as a reason fathers are left out of maternal healthcare.

Why do you think fathers have not been included - or are often under-included - in current maternal healthcare models?

  • Cultural and gender norms assume caregiving is primarily the mother's role 58.8%
  • Fathers are perceived as disinterested or unavailable 42.3%
  • Health systems and pregnancy care not originally designed to included fathers/partners 38.9%
  • Absence of Father-inclusive models in provider education and practice 33.8%
  • Policy and reimbursement structures focus exclusively on mothers and babies 33.4%
  • Healthcare providers often lack training or resources to engage fathers 32.0%
  • Limited research or data on the impact of father engagement in perinatal care 28.4%
  • None of the above 9.1%

2025 · base n 1,000 · +/- 3.2%

Module 2

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Methodology

Full methodology
Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
Field dates
2025-11-14 → 2025-11-20
Base (unweighted)
1,000
Margin of error
+/- 3.2%
Module
Module 2

Source

Citation

Verasight APHA Omnibus Survey #2025-148, fielded November 14-20, 2025, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.2%.

https://reports.verasight.io/r/verasight-apha-2025

Verasight survey methodology

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This page describes the Verasight general survey contract, separate from how the Data Library packages it. When a wave report is published, its field dates, sample sizes, and module breakdown are listed in that report.

Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting.
Population
US adults age 18+.
Sample design
Surveys are run as omnibus or single-topic waves. Omnibus waves are split into modules with their own respondent set, typically around one thousand respondents per module.
Field window
Each wave specifies its own field dates. Most omnibus waves field across roughly two weeks.
Weighting
Per-module weighting to CPS targets including age, race and ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, and metropolitan status.
Partisanship benchmark
Pew Research Center's NPORS benchmarking surveys, three-year running average.
Vote benchmark
2024 presidential vote population benchmarks.
Margin of error
Typically about plus or minus 3.4 to 3.6 percent per module at standard module sizes. Question-level MoE is recomputed when a base shrinks materially below the module baseline.
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