Involved Fathers Have Greater Job Satisfaction, Less Work-Life Conflict

By Rachel Feintszeig

More time with the kids appears to be a career boost for many working dads, a new study found.

Fathers feel greater job satisfaction and less work-life conflict when they spend more time caring for their children, according to the study, which surveyed 970 fathers in a variety of occupations. And men are less likely than women to feel friction between work and home life when they devote more time to child care, the study found. The research was published in the February issue of the Academy of Management Perspectives.

There are limits to the benefits of paternal involvement, however. Men who devote themselves more fully and visibly to their families—taking a four-month paternity leave, for example—may run into some of the same career obstacles women do, says Jamie Ladge, an associate professor of management and organizational development at Boston’s Northeastern University and one of the authors of the study.

Women with children under 18 years old spend about twice as much time on child care as men do—1.86 hours per workday versus 0.91 hours for men, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Women’s involvement with home life also is perceived differently in the workplace, Dr. Ladge says.

“Men just don’t think about [work-life conflict] as much as women do because they don’t experience the stigma,” she said.

More time with the kids appears to be a career boost for many working dads, a new study found.

Fathers feel greater job satisfaction and less work-life conflict when they spend more time caring for their children, according to the study, which surveyed 970 fathers in a variety of occupations. And men are less likely than women to feel friction between work and home life when they devote more time to child care, the study found. The research was published in the February issue of the Academy of Management Perspectives.

There are limits to the benefits of paternal involvement, however. Men who devote themselves more fully and visibly to their families—taking a four-month paternity leave, for example—may run into some of the same career obstacles women do, says Jamie Ladge, an associate professor of management and organizational development at Boston’s Northeastern University and one of the authors of the study.

Women with children under 18 years old spend about twice as much time on child care as men do—1.86 hours per workday versus 0.91 hours for men, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Women’s involvement with home life also is perceived differently in the workplace, Dr. Ladge says.

“Men just don’t think about [work-life conflict] as much as women do because they don’t experience the stigma,” she said.