Where are all the Male Volunteers?

Where are all the Male Volunteers?

I was reading an article the other day and it was talking about how volunteering in the United Sates has gone down over the last few years. But what got me thinking was the huge difference between male and female volunteers. Us guys barely make up about twenty percent. Now, if you separate the fathers from that number, we are looking pretty sad. As a dad myself, it makes me start to wonder why this is. Especially, when it has shown that a lack of a father figure in the house can lead to a multitude of issues in a child's life.

Now, I understand that in most households if one parent is working it is typically the father. I also know that mothers inherently have a more nurturing personality and will naturally feel the need to be involved in their kid's life. I mean, the word nurturing itself, is based on the word feed, which only a mother can do for their babies.

Anyways, back to my point. There is a seriously lack of dad volunteers. Some will say, what about sports? Yes, there are plenty in sports, but our kids spend most of their lives in school, which is dominated by women. Sports is typically on Saturday and then Sunday is church, which again, is mostly dominated by women teachers. Six days a week our children are being taught by a female authority figure and surround by other female volunteers. Is this the end of the world? No! Do I have anything against women? No! This has nothing to do with gender wars, but there needs to be a light shined on us dads. Are we doing enough? Is there enough balance in our kids life, especially our sons, to show them what it means to act like a real man? Imagine if a group of dads spent time each month to teach boys in school on how to be respectful and kind towards women. Now that's an interesting thought.

Overall, I know a lot of great dads that work full time and their kids are great. However, it would be nice to see more fathers take time out to help in school, church, organizations, etc. and be a male presence in their kids' lives or even for those who lack a father figure in their lives. I challenge all dads to find 2-3 hours in the next two months where they can help in class and read a book to the kids, help with a science project in the classroom, or even go on a field trip. Let's find more time to volunteer for our kids.