Eight in 10 people think it is difficult for parents to juggle their work-life balance and more than seven in 10 believe the situation will be even worse in 10 years, according to research.
The latest Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) survey of more than 2,000 people also found that the overwhelming majority (96%) believe it is hard for carers to combine their caring duties with work.
Jenny Watson, chair of the EOC, said the UK risks a “serious breakdown in family and community life”.
“The social revolution is an unfinished revolution. Family life has changed dramatically in the last generation and three out of four people say it should be as easy for men to take time off for caring responsibilities as it is for women.
“Far more mothers are in the workplace. Fathers want to be hands-on dads. And most of us will need to provide some support, often unforeseen, for older relatives in the future. Add globalisation and the rapid rise of technology to the mix and it feels as if the world has changed but society has failed to keep up,” she said.
Some 68% of those polled believe the traditional model of male breadwinner and female homemaker is a thing of the past.
