Daddies: A Side of Work/Life Balance We Don't Hear Much About by Roger Herman Discussions of work/life balance have long centered around working mothers--after all, their needs seem to be more immediate. We tend to believe that working mothers have a harder time finding that balance between raising children and advancing their career. There is absolutely no reason to believe that working mothers don't have an exceedingly difficult row to hoe--it's just that working dads are sometimes lost in the shuffle. The conversation about work/life balance need not be the exclusive domain of working mothers. There is a rapidly growing number of fathers out there who are increasingly involved in what were once considered "women's issues." These enlightened dads are now more involved in the day-to-day activities of the family and are striving to juggle the responsibilities of work and home. These dads need help. Counting daddies This new aspect of the work/life question isn't just a vague hunch or prediction. The numbers are there to suggest that this problem is not only out there, but that it's becoming more pressing every day: 91 percent of fathers with children under 18 are employed, compared with 67 percent of working mothers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 26 percent of men with children under 13 say they would sacrifice career advancement for more flexible work arrangements, and another 7 percent say they would consider it, according to the Families and Work Institute. 60 percent of working parents (from both genders) felt significant conflict between work demands and time spent at home, says the Families and Work Institute. What's truly alarming in all of this data is that recent polling, presented by the National Center For Fathering, found that more than half of all Americans (57.6%) believe employers do not recognize the strain fathers face, when trying to balance the demands of family and the demands of work. These numbers are up significantly from the 1996 poll, where only 27.7% gave that response. What can be done? Finding ways to provide support The numbers don't lie. These statistics show us that working fathers, and not just working mothers, are going to need some kind of help balancing their work and personal lives. Organizations must recognize this, and respond by creating a variety of programs that will help working dads bring balance to their lives. Employers of ChoiceSM will find the ways and means necessary to show their understanding and support of family needs in our ever more fast-paced world. What are some of the options available to employers when looking for ways to help working dads--and working moms? A few ideas follow: Paternity Leave. The Family and Medical Leave Act gives most fathers the option of taking time off. According to the National Partnership for Women and Families, equal numbers of men and women take leaves each year--about 2,000,000 each. Yet, only 500,000 men take paternity leave, compared to 1.4 million women who take maternity leave. The biggest roadblock for taking paternity leave seems to be a financial one. This barrier will likely change, however, as the number of employers offering paid paternity leave continues to grow. A 1999 study by the Society for Human Resource Management found that 20% of all employers offer paid paternity leave. That's twice as many as offered the benefit in 1998. Childcare Assistance. Childcare is no longer an issue that solely affects working moms. A 1999 survey of 500 working parents by the University of Cincinnati found that a majority of both mothers and fathers, regardless of how much they earn or how many kids they have, have missed work because of childcare problems. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the number of households where a working father is the sole parent has more than doubled in the last two decades ¾ from 569,000 in 1975 to 2.1 million in 1998. And although the media almost always focus on mothers when portraying single parents, a whopping 27 percent of working single parents are men. Demographically, single fathers are the fastest-growing population segment in the workforce. This growth means that fathers need help finding and paying for childcare--perhaps more help than we thought. Employers can provide working dads with childcare assistance in a number of ways. Benefits can range from onsite daycare centers to resource and referral services, financial assistance programs, and contributions to local child care programs. Flexibility. More than anything else, working fathers want flexible work schedules to help them synchronize their personal life with company needs. This different schedule does not necessarily mean working fewer hours; instead, it means giving fathers more control over the particular hours they work. Parenting classes. Dads can benefit from taking classes that help them learn how to bring balance in their lives, as well as learn new strategies for effective fathering and coping with stress. Chase Manhattan, Marriott, and Texas Instruments are among the companies offering this revolutionary benefit. Looking forward Benefits experts we talk to say that they are seeing a distinct trend towards more men taking advantage of paternity leave, on-site daycare, parenting classes, flextime, and other benefits that women have used and valued for years. The culture out there is changing, and employers need to stay ahead of the curve. Companies in which dads can feel as comfortable as moms are the wave of the future. We need to make sure that companies aren't leaving their daddies behind.

[ Home - About - Tools - Information - Stay Connected - Main Page of the Herman Group ]