More than four in five fathers feel pressure juggling work and family life - poll

More than four in five fathers with children aged under 16 feel some level of stress at trying to juggle work and family life, a survey has found.

Some 84% of working men said they feel this pressure, according to the research released ahead of International Men's Day on Sunday November 19.

Nearly two-fifths (38%) of working fathers said they felt a great deal of stress at balancing their lives, while a further 46% felt a lower level of stress.

More than two-thirds (68%) of working fathers said they would consider quitting their day job in order to be a "stay at home dad" looking after the children, Nationwide Building Society found.

More than a quarter (27%) of working fathers said they had regrets about putting their work first.

Only one in 10 (10%) fathers surveyed had never taken time off work for child-related matters.

Two-fifths (42%) of these fathers said they did not think their work or boss would understand the reasons for taking time off.

The most common reasons fathers had taken time off work were because their child was sick and/or needed to visit the doctor or because it was their child's birthday.

Katrina Hutchinson-O'Neill, Nationwide's director of resourcing, said: "The daily struggle many women experience in trying to balance raising their children and developing their career is a well-recognised, if sadly still contemporary, issue.

"For many working fathers, the issues are just as real."

More than 1,000 fathers across the UK with children aged under 16 took part in the survey.