One in three working fathers think that if they put in a request to work part time it would damage their career opportunities.
The Department for Education and Employment-funded survey of 7,500 employees and 2,500 companies published today also revealed that 14 per cent of fathers worked more than 60 hours a week and were unable to spend less time with their families.
The study was carried out by the Institute for Employment Research at Warwick University between April and July this year.
But men wanted working time arrangements offering flexibility of working hours over the day, week or a longer period while women preferred practices allowing for set changes in working time.
Nearly one in five of the employees questioned worked in workplaces operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The DfEE has provided a series of case studies showing how businesses benefited from flexible working practices. One example was Maynards bakery, in Taunton, Somerset, which has introduced a "mummy shift" to cater for the needs of working mothers. More case studies on:
www.dfee.gov.uk/work-lifebalance/case.htm
by Richard Staines
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