Two-in-five working dads (43 percent) who had a child in the last three years report they didn’t take any paternity leave. For those working dads who took some, but not the full allotted time off, 47 percent say they felt pressured by work to come back early. Of those who took some paternity leave, 59 percent took one week or less. This is according to CareerBuilder’s annual Father’s Day survey, conducted February 9 to March 2, 2012, among 729 full-time, working fathers with children 18 and under who are living with them.

Across various categories, the stress of prolonged economic uncertainty post-recession appears to have affected more working fathers’ balance between professional and family life.

• Bringing work home: More than one-third of working dads (36 percent) reported they bring home work from the office, up from 27 percent in 2008.
• Likelihood of being a stay-at-home dad: Thirty-five percent of working dads said, if their spouse or partner made enough money to support the family, they would consider trading their careers for a role of staying home with the kids — down from 37 percent in 2008.
• Willingness to take pay cut: While working dads want to spend more time with their families, the number of dads willing to take a pay cut to do so dropped since the recession. Thirty-three percent of working dads reported they would take a pay cut if it meant they have more quality time at home, down from 37 percent in 2008.

“For many households, the recession has affected family life as much as personal finances,” said Alex Green, general counsel for CareerBuilder and father of three. “Many families need dual incomes, and post-recession work environments often entail longer longer hours. Fortunately, we see more dads taking advantange of flexible work arrangements to try to make up the difference and have more quality time with their families.”

The survey found that 22 percent of fathers say their work has negatively affected relationships with their children and 26 percent said work negatively affected relationships with significant others.

Source: CareerBuilder.