Dads left out in the cold: one in five fathers would like more time off work to bond with their children

• Nearly half (42%) of men feel under pressure to juggle a career with having children
• Almost half of fathers (46%) don’t think their workplaces offer enough flexibility to adequately juggle childcare with work
• Much discrimination against women surrounds preconceptions on their taking time off to have children

It is a man’s world, a part from when it comes to children. Courts tend to favour the mother and many men don’t get to see their own children as much as they like, if at all. In fact, if a couple is not married, the man has no rights at all.

One in five fathers (22%) would like more time off work to bond with their children according to a survey by serviced office provider Business Environment. The research shows that modern men are finding it difficult to maintain a work / life balance that allows them to spend enough time with the kids.

Almost half of fathers (46%) feel that their workplaces do not offer enough flexibility to juggle childcare commitments with work life. While the debate usually revolves around flexibility for mothers, this research highlights that employers are behind the times by overlooking the importance of flexible working for fathers.

When asked about the changes in paternity law that will allow parents to share maternity/paternity from next year, 75% of men and women welcome the changes believing that it will help fathers bond with their children and decrease the discrimination against mothers in the workplace. Those who answered negatively cited reasons such as the cost of implementing new legislation and their belief that childcare is the domain of women.

Positively, more than half (56%) of respondents say they would share leave equally with their partner if given the chance, demonstrating the potential to affect changes in attitudes towards women if it were perceived that men were just as likely to take time off to have children.

David Saul, managing director, Business Environment said: “Since I founded Business Environment 20 years ago, I have seen a huge shift in perceptions about both men and women at home and in the workplace. The view that women should stay at home and look after the kids while the man brings home the money is archaic to say the least. However, our research suggests that employers are not keeping up with the times. We hear a lot about ensuring there is flexibility in place for working mothers, but today it is just as important that men are considered equal in sharing childcare commitments – and that means making allowances in their working schedules too.”

While men may be feeling under pressure, much of the gender discrimination that takes place in the workplace centres on women having children. The research found that more than a quarter of employers would be reluctant to hire a women if she were of child-bearing age (27%) or already has children (26%).

David Saul explains how the change in paternity law may have a positive effect for women, as well as men: “I believe the changes in paternity leave will have a two-fold effect. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, more men taking time out when their children are born will reduce the stigma that still surrounds women in the workplace, opening up more opportunities and making bigger cracks in the glass ceiling. Secondly, of course, it will allow fathers to spend more time bonding with their children.”