British dads spend the least amount of time with their kids, making them the worst in the world, study says
A global study revealed that UK fathers only invest in 24 minutes of childcare compared each hour a mum spends
A GLOBAL study has claimed that British dads are the worst in the world because they spend the least amount of time with their kids compared to other countries.
A study commission by the Fatherhood Institute, the Fatherhood Institute’s Fairness In Families Index revealed that UK dads only spend 24 minutes looking after their child for every hour a mum invests.
The results ranked the UK at the bottom of 15 countries that were reviewed, which makes British dads the worst in the developed world.
At the top of the list were Portuguese dads, who spend 39 minutes for each hour of childcare a woman puts in.
Also the UK only finished 11th on the table of countries with the most equal parental leave system, despite the introduction of shared parental leave legislation that was brought in last April.
But, it's not all bad news for British parents as the study revealed that they are better at sharing chores.
UK men clocked up 34 minutes of housework and cooking compared to every hour a woman does, which ranks the nation fifth out of 15 countries.
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The study which compared a parents from numerous countries and looked at a variety of factors to determine gender equality.
Overall, the UK came 12th on FIFI's list of 22 countries, which is a drop of three places since the 2010 study, while the top five countries in the 2016 index were all Scandinavian, with Sweden taking the top spot.
Fatherhood Institute chair Will McDonald said: “It’s clear that today’s fathers want to play a substantial role in caring for their young children – and mothers want more sharing too.
“What our analysis shows is that compared to other countries, the UK has failed to create the structures to support families to achieve the greater sharing that they want, and that is so important for our children’s futures.
“This needs to change, or we will continue to fall behind.”
Unfortunately, the UK pay gap between men and women also didn't rank very high, as it came in 15th of 22 countries.
Rt Hon Maria Miller MP, Chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, said: “Businesses cannot afford to ignore the parenting revolution that millennials want to see and the PM won’t succeed in his vision of eliminating the gender pay gap unless we see a more equal sharing of parental duties as the new norm.
“Until fathers can take up more parental responsibility, particularly when their children are very young, we won’t see a reduction in the gender pay gap.”