Moneybox: I Love You, Dad (but $35 Less Than Mom)

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moneybox I Love You, Dad (but $35 Less Than Mom) Do Americans buy more expensive gifts for Father's Day or Mother's Day? By Annie Lowrey Posted Thursday, June 16, 2011, at 5:13 PM ET On Sunday, Americans will show their fathers how much they care by showering them with special meals, handcrafted cards, and, of course, carefully picked presents--barbecue sets, ties, that new putter he's been craving. The question that gnaws at all fathers and mothers about these presents is: Do our children love Mom or Dad more? Put it in raw dollar terms: Do we spend more for Father's Day or Mother's Day? Those who think dads are better-loved find support in the theory that the sorts of things we buy for our dads--tools, electronics--are more expensive than the sorts of things we buy for our moms--brunch, flowers. (A corollary to this theory says that women, the main buyers on Father's Day, are more enthusiastic shoppers than men, the main buyers on Mother's Day.) A few surveys support this hypothesis. Ebates, the online coupon store, for instance, queried shoppers and found that they spent more on Father's Day than Mother's Day by a significant margin--$144 to $82. To continue reading, click here. Annie Lowrey reports on economics and business for Slate. Previously, she worked as a staff writer for the Washington Independent and on the editorial staffs of Foreign Policy and The New Yorker. Her e-mail is annie.lowrey@slate.com. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Spitzer: It's Ridiculous To Say These GOP Candidates Are "Moderate." They're Radical. Will It Take a Long Hitter To Win the U.S. Open? What the "Moneygolf" Stats Say. Japan Is Getting Absurdly Good at Making Craft Beers	Advertisement
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