LONDON, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- British researchers report the notion that contemporary men who become fathers in their '30s shoulder their fair share of childcare is a myth.
Rather, new fathers now in their '30s are less likely than men born in the 1950s to take equal responsibility for looking after their children, researchers at London University's Institute of Education have found.
Middle-class fathers spend less time on parenting than manual and unskilled workers -- and put the blame on the pressure of work -- The Scotsman reported.
The Institute of Education's findings are based on an analysis of three surveys that began in 1958, 1970 and 2000, examining tens of thousands of British families.
Forty-six percent of fathers who were born in 1958 said they shared parenting responsibility equally with the mothers of their children. Among those fathers born in 1970, just 39 percent said they carried their fair share of the parenting load.
"Overall, findings from the three studies do not support the notion of a 'new dad' who spends more time with his children," said the institute's Jessica Henniker-Major. "In fact, they seem to suggest fathers today are actually taking a slightly smaller role in childcare."
