British blokes give the thumbs up to bringing up baby

The new man is alive and kicking - British men are planning to take advantage of proposed changes in parental leave that will allow them to spend more time with their young children.

According to research from totaljobs.com, one of the UKís leading recruitment sites, more than half of men (58 per cent) would consider taking advantage of the changes. From April 2007 maternity pay will be extended to nine months, while under new proposals, fathers will be entitled to take up to three months of this extra time off as paid paternity leave if the childís mother returns to work before her maternity leave is up.

A desire to play an active role in their childís early months is a key driver for 53 per cent of stay at home dads, while an enlightened 13 per cent donít believe in traditional family roles. And the balance of financial power seems to be shifting in some homes -14 per cent of men would consider staying at home because their partner earns more money than they do.

Sharing the parental responsibilities gets the support of both sexes - 64 per cent of women are in favour of transferring some maternity leave and pay to fathers, with 60 per cent wanting their partner to take an active role with their children when they are young.

Men certainly donít see staying at home as an easy option. Just under half - 48 per cent - admit that raising a child is no easier than going to work.

However, almost a quarter of men who say that they wouldnít take up the new changes (24 per cent) believe that taking more than two weeks paternity leave will damage their career.

This is also a concern for some women. Of those who donít wish to take extended leave, almost a quarter (22 per cent) are concerned that taking more than six months off would damage their career, whilst 31 per cent said they need the stimulus of a working environment and the interaction with adults it provides.

John Salt, website director for totaljobs.com, commented:

This research shows that the new man is alive and kicking and in your workplace. It demonstrates that British men prioritise spending time at home with their young children.

It is worrying that many employees are clearly concerned that taking additional time off could be damaging to their careers. Organisations across the UK need to do more to support and reassure new parents whilst still operating as a successful, business.