As fathers become more engaged with caring for children, they’re also more challenged to balance work and home life, according to the Pew Research Center.
Earlier this month, Pew celebrated Father’s Day with “7 Facts About American Dads,” a review of the center’s research on fathers. The numbers show that as fathers take a more active role in caring for their children, dads (just like moms) are stressed about juggling work and family life.
Some highlights of the research:
- 94 percent of fathers say being a parent is extremely important or very important to their identity.
- Dads are much more involved in child care than they were 50 years ago, but 63 percent of fathers still feel like they’re not spending enough time with their kids.
- Fathers struggle with work-life balance just like mothers. 52 percent of dads say it is very or somewhat difficult to balance the responsibilities of work and family, and 48 percent say they’d rather be at home with their children.
- 71 percent of adults feel it’s equally important for mothers and fathers to bond with babies.
- Fathers find it more difficult to take significant time off to care for their newborns, and 49 percent of adults say that’s because fathers face more pressure than mothers to return to work quickly after a birth or adoption. In the past two years, fathers took an average of one week off from work, compared with 11 weeks for mothers.
Employers who consider fathers’ needs along with mothers’ needs stand a better chance of attracting and retaining top talent, and benefits like paternity leave benefit both businesses and families.
To see the full Pew Research Center article, click here.