One in Four Dads Works Too Hard
A quarter of Aussie dads with young children are working at least 55 hours a week, cutting into time spent with their kids, a survey shows.
These workaholic fathers give their partners less assistance and support in child-rearing but make a more hefty contribution to the family income than other dads, according to the study from the Australian Institute of Family Studies.
They also read to their children at bedtime just as frequently as other fathers.
Demographer Dr Jennifer Baxter examined the relationships between work hours and specific aspects of parenting for fathers of children aged four and five.
The study, published today in the journal Family Matters, found that one-quarter of the men worked 55 hours or more per week.
These fathers spent, on an average weekday, 2.2 hours with their child, compared to 2.9 hours for fathers working 35 to 44 hours per week.
Dr Baxter found that they had “reduced levels of assistance and support to their partner in child-rearing”.
They also had “reduced involvement with their children on a range of activities, but not for reading with their children”.
However, they contributed more financially, averaging a gross weekly income of $1300, compared to fathers working 35 to 44 hours per week, who earned $908.
Dr Baxter said it was clear that in many families, especially when children were young, there was still an expectation that the father be the main breadwinner.
But despite the ill-effects of the longer hours on co-parenting, the researchers said the differences among all full-time employed fathers was actually quite small.
What was more important was that fathers put in time when they could.
“Even among those working fairly standard hours, some fathers were less involved in their children’s activities and less supportive as a co-parent,” the authors said.
“And conversely, other fathers ensured their family time was not compromised by their work demands, even if those work demands were significant.”
The findings are consistent with international research suggesting that when higher levels of motivation, skills and supports are in place, institutional factors need not always make a large difference to fathering.
Source: NEWS.com.au, Australia
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23136597-1702,00.html
