Nearly one-third of fathers feel they don’t have the same level of access to work-life benefits as their colleagues, a study has found.
Recruitment specialists Adecco found that just 70% of fathers felt their access to a proper work-life balance was equal to that of their non-parent counterparts, and more than half felt employers need to do more to help them attain it.
Eighty-one per cent of fathers are likely to work after hours, a higher proportion than either mothers (71%) or non-parents (83%).
“The perception that the work-life balancing act is mainly a female struggle no longer holds up in today’s workplace,” said Rich Thompson, vice-president of training and development for Adecco Group North America.
“As mothers and fathers continue to more equally share responsibilities both at home and at the office, employers need to be mindful of this and ensure that they offer work-life balance benefits that are inclusive of both groups.”
Mothers are still suffering, however, with 60% feeling they don’t have the same access to work-life benefits as their colleagues
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Both mothers and fathers felt overwhelmingly that family life was more challenging to maintain than work life (71% and 64% respectively), and 40% felt that becoming a parent had affected their career paths.
The online Adecco USA Workplace Insight survey polled 2,138 adults in April.
