The job of stay-at-home dad is becoming increasingly attractive to today's working dads. The number of working dads who say they are willing to give up the breadwinner role if their spouse or partner earned enough to support their families rose from 43 percent in 2004 to 49 percent in 2005. The CareerBuilder.com survey, "Working Dads 2005," was conducted from April 17 to April 25, 2005 and included 300 men, employed full- time, with children under the age of 18 living at home.

When comparing age groups, men falling in the 36 to 50 category were the most likely to relinquish the primary provider role with 53 percent willing to stay home with the kids. Men ages 21 to 35 ranked second at 46 percent. Those in the 51 to 65 age group were least likely at 38 percent.

Thirty-seven percent of all working dads say they would consider the option of taking a new job with less pay if it offered a better work/life balance. One-in-five would accept a pay cut of more than 5 percent and one- in-ten would accept a pay cut of over 10 percent.

"Traditional household roles have evolved and men are becoming more comfortable with the idea of Mr. Mom to be more active in their children's lives," said Richard Castellini, Vice President of Consumer Marketing at CareerBuilder.com and father of two. "More than one-third of working dads report they currently spend less than two hours with their children after work and one-half have missed at least one significant event in their children's lives due to work in the last year."

Long days at the office and heavy workloads that need to be addressed outside of normal work hours have left one-in-four working dads dissatisfied with their work/life balance. Thirty-six percent of working dads report they bring work home at least one day a week and 30 percent say they often or always work weekends.

To better manage personal and professional calendars, working dads say they have taken advantage of work style adjustments such as flexible schedules, telecommuting, and attending their children's events during the workday. Ninety percent report these adjustments have not negatively impacted their career progress.

Castellini offers the following tips to help working dads gain a healthier work/life balance:

   -- Earn the right.  Before you approach your supervisor about
      implementing a more flexible work arrangement, you have to earn the
      right to do so.  Work hard and establish yourself as a top player for
      the company and then propose an altered work schedule when the
      employer sees the value you consistently deliver.
   -- Be strategic in your schedule.  It's better to work one night until
      9:00 p.m. and arrive home on time every other workday than work until
      7:00 p.m. three or four nights a week.
   -- Organize and compartmentalize.  Set aside one night a week or a month
      to get organized at work.  If you take work home with you, make sure
      your kids don't see it.  Check emails after bedtime.  When you're
      home, it's all about them.
   -- 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.
   -- Make time.  At least once a week, schedule a family activity that
      involves interaction.  Try to get out of the house and take your
      family for a bike-ride, trip to the playground, trip to a museum, etc.
   -- Pay attention to your significant other.  Take the initiative to
      schedule a babysitter for a date night with your significant other.
      Make a point of steering the conversation away from bills or household
      issues and focus on having fun.


  Survey Methodology

The CareerBuilder.com survey, "Working Dads 2005," was conducted from April 17 to April 25, 2005 and included 300 men, employed full-time, with children under the age of 18 living at home. Methodology used to collect survey responses for this study 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 +/- 5.66 percentage points (19 times out of 20).

About CareerBuilder.com

CareerBuilder.com is the nation's largest online job network with more than 20 million unique visitors and over 600,000 jobs. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. , Tribune Company , and Knight Ridder, Inc. , 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 550 partners that reach national, local, industry and niche audiences. These include more than 130 newspapers and leading portals such as America Online and MSN. More than 30,000 of the nation's top employers take advantage of CareerBuilder.com's easy job postings, 11 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/ .

  Media Contact:
  CareerBuilder.com
  Jennifer Sullivan
  (773) 527-1164
  jennifer.sullivan@careerbuilder.com.

SOURCE: CareerBuilder.com