Fathers ‘struggle with work-life balance’

With Americans working longer hours than ever before, many people feel their work-life balance has been compromised.

However, research suggests that fathers in particular may struggle to maintain a healthy balance between their job and their family life.

A survey from recruitment firm Adecco found that 30 percent of US fathers of believe they do not have the same access to work-life benefits as their non-parent counterparts.

In addition, half of those would like their employers to do more to help redress this situation.

The survey also counters the widely held view that it is primarily mothers who struggle to manage family and job commitments, as it revealed that 81 percent of dads are likely to work after hours, compared with 71 percent of moms.

Rich Thompson, vice-president of training and development for Adecco North America, said: "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."

This follows recent research from Careerbuilder.com, which found that more than a third of dads said they would leave their job if their partner’s income could easily support the entire family, while the same proportion reported that they would be willing to take a pay cut to spend more time with their children.