'Hands-on dads' like Becks have been around since Victorian times

So what if David Beckham is a 'hands-on' dad? Scientists have claimed that doting have existed since the Victorian times.

The University of Manchester researchers analyzed fatherhood in Britain during the 19th and 20th centuries and found strong evidence that dads were much more involved in their children's lives than previously thought, Manchester Evening News reported.

The findings contest the widely-held belief of a huge generational shift in attitudes to fatherhood and that 'modern men' were more at ease with parenting and engaged with their kids.

Dr Julie-Marie Strange said that negative stereotypes linked with the Victorian working class father like being absent, tyrannical, distant, drunk, violent and resentful of his children, were all myths, and father's back then were actually affectionate with their children, very involved and cause of laughter and fun in the home. They even engaged in a little baby talk.

Drawing on music hall songs, visual culture and fiction, Dr Strange's research followed the Victorian working man through the front door of his home to observe him at rest and at play with his children.

Dr Strange, who has also written a book titled 'Fatherhood and the British Working Class, 1865-1914,' which is soon to be released, added that comedy was very important for dads from the Victorian era and was used as a way for them to informally bond with their children.