40% of fathers do not take paternity leave

Fathers are choosing not to take paternity leave, believing there is a social stigma against dads who choose to work part-time, research suggests.

40% of men opt out of their right to take time off for childcare, and stay in the office instead.

Some 1,072 fathers were questioned for the survey by Opinion Matters. The results suggest that fathers working in the financial or cultural sectors are more likely to take advantage of paternity entitlements. But in retail, catering and leisure, more than half of those surveyed turned down paternity leave when it was available.

Since 2003, new fathers have been able to claim two weeks paid leave around the birth or adoption of a baby. They can also now take an extra 26 weeks off if the mother returns to work early and transfers her maternity leave.

By 2015, the government plans to give fathers the right to extend paternity leave for the majority of the first year of a baby's life, should they chose to stay at home while the mother returns to work. "Flexible parental leave" will give parents the right to share time off work, with official figures showing that the move could benefit up to 420,000 people every year. The proposals were praised by campaign group Maternity Action, who said many fathers were often unaware of their rights.

But the research suggests that men are still put off taking time away from work. Over half of the working fathers surveyed want to reduce their hours and spend more time with their children. But more than a quarter say that their employer has never offered them a flexi-time or part-time contract.

And those who do go part-time worry that it will damage their career prospects and finances. 70% said they felt there was a social stigma attached to it, while a quarter thought it could damage their career in the future. Only a quarter of fathers who work part-time did not have any concerns about the option.

Angela Smith, operations director of Office Angels, who commissioned the research, said fathers should be more open with employers. She said: "It's important to remember that dads also have a responsibility to make sure their employers understand the dynamics of their family life. If they want to spend more time with their children, they need to raise these concerns with their employer."

It is illegal for employers to dismiss or penalise workers who ask to take paternity leave, regardless of how long they have been employed for. Government guidelines also outline when fathers are entitled to paternity pay and additional leave.

Angela Smith said: "Concerns amongst dads around the stigmatism of working part-time show that society still has some way to go. The UK needs to demonstrate that it accepts and supports a more flexible, dynamic workplace where men and women share both work and childcare duties."

However, although nearly 80% of fathers working part-time thought it was seen as supportive, only 21% said cooking, cleaning and childcare should be done equally between both partners.

The Independent on Sunday yesterday reported the survey's findings, but the figures missed the true extent of opting out of paternity leave. The newspaper said that a quarter of fathers voluntarily chose not to take time off work — but this was from a total which included men who said paternity leave had not been available to them. But when this group is removed from the survey results, the numbers are far higher, with 40% of fathers turning down the option of paternity leave.

The survey questioned fathers of children under 16, meaning some may not have been entitled to the two weeks paternity leave introduced in 2003.

This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To get more content and advice like this direct to your inbox, sign up for our weekly Careers update.