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Four-in-Ten Working Dads Would Give Up Breadwinner Role to Spend More Time With Their Children, CareerBuilder.com’s Annual Father’s Day Survey Finds

- Senior Career Advisor and Father of Three Offers Tips for a Better Work/Life Balance -

CHICAGO, June 13, 2006 – On par with previous surveys, four-in-ten working dads say they would stay at home and assume the role of Mr. Mom if their spouse or partner earned enough to support their families. Struggling to balance work and home, 44 percent of working dads say they are willing to take a pay cut to spend more time with their children; 16 percent would take a pay cut of five percent or more. The CareerBuilder.com survey, “Working Dads 2006,” was conducted from February 21 to March 6 and included more than 225 men, employed full-time, with children under the age of 18 living at home.

Twenty-eight percent of working dads say work is negatively impacting their relationship with their children, with heavy workloads and demanding schedules taking away from critical quality time at home. Three-in-ten working dads say they spend less than 2 hours per day with their children after work; one-in-ten spend less than one hour. Forty percent of working dads report they bring home work at least once a week with one-in-five doing so at least three days a week.

Working dads expressed concern that work commitments are causing them to miss out on big moments for their children. Fifty-eight percent have missed at least one significant event in their children’s lives due to work in the last year; 19 percent have missed five or more.

When comparing the work situations of men and women, the survey shows that working dads are experiencing less flexibility with their employers than working moms. Forty percent of working dads say their companies offer flexible work arrangements, compared to 53 percent of working moms. Eighteen percent of working dads report that work style adjustments have inhibited their career progress. Seventy-two percent say adjustments have enhanced or had no impact on their career progress.

Richard Castellini, Senior Career Advisor at CareerBuilder.com and father of three, offers the following tips to help working dads gain a healthy work/life balance:

  • 1. Keep in touch – One-in-five working dads say they talk to their children on the phone while at work at least once a day; one-in-ten speak to their children twice a day or more. Make a quick call in between meetings and projects and let your children know they’re top of mind.


  • 2. Keep one calendar – Schedule baseball games and play recitals on the same calendar you use for meetings and travel to make sure you never double-book yourself. Save your vacation days for those special events in your children’s lives, so you’re there and in the front row.


  • 3. Save work for bedtime - If you take work home with you, make sure your kids don’t see it. Check e-mails after bedtime. When you’re home, it’s all about them.


  • 4. Make time – At least once a week, schedule a family activity that involves interaction such as a game, bike ride, trip to the playground, etc. Also, make sure to schedule a date night for you and your significant other.


  • 5. Get involved - introduce yourself to your child’s teacher and ask for email updates on his/her progress. Volunteer your time where you can spend it with your kids, whether it’s joining Scouts or coaching a team or participating at a school function.


Survey Methodology
The CareerBuilder.com survey, "Working Dads 2006," was conducted from February 21 to March 6, 2006. Methodology used to collect survey responses totaling more than 225 working fathers, employed full-time with children under the age of 18 living at home involved selecting a random sample of comScore Networks panel members. These Web Panel members were approached via an e-mail invitation, which asked them to participate in a short online survey. The results of this survey are statistically accurate to within +/- 6.53 percentage points (19 times out of 20).

About CareerBuilder.com
CareerBuilder.com is the nation’s largest online job site with more than 20 million unique visitors and over 1 million jobs. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company (NYSE:TRB), and Knight Ridder, Inc. (NYSE:KRI), the company offers a vast online and print network to help job seekers connect with employers. CareerBuilder.com powers the career centers for more than 800 partners that reach national, local, industry and niche audiences. These include more than 170 newspapers and leading portals such as America Online and MSN. More than 250,000 employers take advantage of CareerBuilder.com's easy job postings, 18 million-plus resumes, Diversity Channel and more. Millions of job seekers visit the site every month to search for opportunities by industry, location, company and job type, sign up for automatic email job alerts, and get advice on job hunting and career management. For more information about CareerBuilder.com products and services, visit http://www.careerbuilder.com.

CareerBuilder Media Contact
For all media inquiries and interview requests, contact:

Jennifer Grasz
(P) 773-527-1164
(E) jennifer.grasz@careerbuilder.com