When I write about work-family issues, I deliberately try to avoid assigning them only to women. That’s because I know too many men among my peers who struggle with the same things: spending more time with their kids; arranging flexible work options; doing quality work while raising kids who don’t set fire to the guidance couselor’s car.
It’s one reason why I coerced my colleague Lev Grossman into cowriting a magazine article with me last year about this new generation of dads. It’s also the reason I’m not surprised by the results of this new survey from CareerBuilder.com that finds 37% of dads with jobs say they’d gladly stay home if the spouse could support the family on her own. Other findings:
• 37% of working dads said they are willing to take a pay cut to spend more time with their children.
• 42% would take a pay cut of 10% or more.
Office time cuts into family time:
• 22% of working dads said their jobs have had a negative impact on their relationships with their children, with time management playing a role in the disruption of precious family time;
• 46% of working dads said they have missed a significant event in their child’s life in the last year due to work;
• 26% said they have missed more than three.
It’s harder than ever to leave the office at the office:
• 25% of working dads stated that they work more than 50 hours a week;
• 24% said they bring work home at least once, if not more, a week.
How much time are dads spending with the tots?
• 47% of working dads said they spend fewer than three hours a day with their children during the work week;
• 22% said they spend less than two hours;
• 6% are only able to spend an hour.
Are you a working dad who wants to stay home, or are you married to one?