Men still won't sacrifice their careers for fatherhood, claims new book

According to a new book, the idea that men are cutting back on work to help their partners with childcare is just a myth.

Gideon Burrows, author of Men Can Do It! The Real Reason Dads Don't Do Childcare and What Men and Women Should Do About It, to be published next week, said that the notion that dads are opting to replace mothers in huge numbers is "a fallacy."

The book, which has been described as a "wake-up call for all new parents", also examines the barriers to equal parenting, including poor paternity pay, non-flexible jobs, public services geared towards mothers, workplace prejudice and social conventions, the Independent reported.

But Burrows concludes that the biggest obstacle is men themselves, adding that they don't really want to do childcare.

Though it's lovely, they also find it boring, disgusting, unrewarding and tedious and entails career, financial and life sacrifices that they're just not willing to take, Burrows told The Independent on Sunday.

Men talk about how much they want to spend time with their children, but then do nothing about it, according to the book.

The book revealed that one in three do not take their statutory paternity leave and, at weekends, fathers spend far less time with their children than their partners do.

A third do not change nappies or bathe their babies, Burrows found.