Dads! Have you made request to your employer to work in a more family-friendly way? Can you spare 5 minutes to complete our online survey? We really want to hear from you.
Ideas about what it means to be a ‘good’ father have shifted. Evidence shows that dads are far more involved with childcare and taking on more of the housework. Research of over 9,000 two parent heterosexual households with 9-month-old showed 36% of dads sharing childcare equally. [Norman, H., Elliot, M., Fagan, C ]
There is a shift towards equal parenting, yet this less evident in the workplace, even though we know that dads who are supported in a family-friendly work-life balance are more engaged and productive.
43% of UK employees value flexible working above pay, but only 17% of employed men in 2011 made a request to work flexibly compared to 28% of women.[The Fourth Work-Life Balance Employee Survey]. Early research shows there may still be a stigma attached – so as part of our #DadUp campaign we’re keen to track down more “early adopter” dads like David Early who are blazing a trail.
Have you taken steps to work in a more family-friendly way – whether that’s requesting shared parental leave, compressed hours, part time working, flexi hours, home working, or other informal requests for childcare flexibility? And how were those requests received?
Please have your say in our short survey and help us pass on your valuable experience to other fathers and researchers seeking support to #DadUp our workplaces. Let’s build a cultural revolution for the sake of our children.