June 19 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. consumers may spend 27 percent less for Father’s Day than for Mother’s Day as neckties and cookouts fail to command as much cash as flowers and restaurant dinners.

The CHART OF THE DAY shows the average amount spent on gifts for the respective holidays since 2002. It shows a similar level of spending on dads and a jump for moms starting in 2004, when electronics became a larger part of the mix, according to Kathy Grannis, a spokeswoman for the National Retail Federation.

U.S. shoppers plan to spend $90.89 for Father’s Day on June 21 this year, compared with $123.89 for Mother’s Day on May 10, according to surveys for the NRF, a trade group based in Washington. Average spending on dads may fall 3.9 percent, compared with an 11 percent drop for moms as consumers grapple with higher unemployment and lower home values.

“If you’re looking to trim dollars, mentally it’s easier to do that for dad,” Pam Goodfellow, a senior analyst at BIGresearch in Worthington, Ohio, said in a telephone interview. The firm conducted the survey for the NRF. “Dads understand we can do a cookout as opposed to mom or grandma, who you’ve always taken out to dinner or brunch.”

Moms were most likely to receive flowers, a restaurant meal, jewelry or a gift card, according to a survey of more than 8,000 consumers conducted March 31 to April 7. Dinner or a ballgame rank highest for dads, followed by clothes, gift cards and electronics, a May 5-12 survey showed.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mark Clothier in Atlanta at mclothier@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: June 19, 2009 05:30 EDT