Flexible work for dads is a feminist issue

Mummy track
Adrienne Burgess, research manager at the Fatherhood Institute, says: “We know that fathers are more hesitant to ask for flexible working and more likely to be turned down. It is likely that they self-censor because they are worried their employer will think badly of them. On the other hand, companies may be more open to flexible working in current climate.”
She added that the “mummy track” has become devalued and that in Scandinavia where positive steps have been taken to encourage take-up of parental leave and flexible working by both parents there had been a positive impact on family life.
She said it was clear that having more men take up flexible working was beneficial for women: it meant that they were not sidelined at work, they would be able to share household tasks and childcare and the family as a whole would benefit from a more equal sharing of the load with one partner not feeling resentful that they had given up their career and the other not feeling resentful that they had to work all hours to earn the main wage. “Getting dads to take up flexible working is a feminist issue,” she stated.
Burgess criticised the “ludicrous” parental leave policies which Britain currently has and said they fall foul of equal opportunities legislation. “Why should women have a whole year longer off than men?” she asked. “The whole message this is giving is that it is a mum’s job to look after the children.” This is very much in keeping with proposals published yesterday by the Equality and Human Rights Commission which call for dads to be able to share paid parental leave with mums. They suggest that mums could cover the first six months of maternity leave with dads then sharing the care after this at 90% pay for the first eight weeks.

Share the care
Burgess says that unless men get involved with their children from the start and share the care they will not be used to doing so at a later stage and will be less likely to request flexible working. She also adds that more needs to be done to promote flexible working as a shared thing. “We should speak of flexible working for fathers and mothers and put the fathers first as it is such a shock to the system.”
She adds that having both parents working equally would reduce the pressure on the family if any one of them lost their jobs in the recession. Another advantage would be to reduce antisocial behaviour. She cited research showing that if a teenager has a bad relationship with one of their parents they are at double the risk of anti-social behaviour. “You can’t just wheel dad in when children get to their teenager years. They need to build up a close relationship with their children from early on so they are aware of their sensitivities.”
Rob Kemp, editor at large of Fathers Quarterly, agrees that men should be encouraged to be involved with their children more, but says things have changed due to the recession with men being more reluctant to be “seen to be a shirker” by working from home or other flexible working.
“Guys are more susceptible to the comments, for example, people saying working from home in double quote marks, even though they should be putting their families first,” he said. “Many workplaces breed that kind of macho culture and fathers feel guilty. They still see themselves as a breadwinner first and a nurturer second.”
He too praised Scandinavia for its advances and said that parents’ attitude to work and to their managers was better if the quality of their family life improved.

Gizmos and lists
However, despite the macho work culture which still pervades in the UK, Kemp says things are changing in the UK and FQ reflects this. Set up five years ago, it tries to encourage men to talk more about fatherhood but in a way that appeals to them. So instead of articles on sleep deprivation and pushchairs, it is full of gadget and film reviews and top 10 lists of different types of dads, celebrity interviews and advice. The advice section is perhaps the most interesting. Questions include worries about changes in career goals after becoming a dad and dads looking for roles in teaching to fit around their children. There are general concerns about whether they are committed to their partners or cut out to be a dad. The most surprising questions, says Kemp who gave up his full time job to freelance so he could see more of his five-year-old son Stanley, have been requests for information on jobs in teaching or childminding.
He would like to see more dads taking a role in childcare and says that, despite his comments on men’s reluctance to ask for flexible working in the recession, the downturn may have a positive impact as more men lose their jobs and roles become reversed with women becoming the main earners. Burgess agrees that the impact of the recession is too difficult to call, but says there needs to be a redoubling of efforts to market flexible working as something which is for dads as well as mums.
“Employers see workers as a team so parents should see themselves as a team,” she says.