Working dads, like moms, crave more time with their kids: study

A new Pew Research Center study finds that it's not just moms who struggle to find work-life balance -- half of working dads say that juggling it all is either "very" or "somewhat" difficult.

Fathers were also found to be just as likely to wish they could stay at home with the kids full-time.

American dads also did more housework than they used to, spending an average of 10 hours a week on household duties other than taking care of children in 2011, compared to only four hours in 1965. Still women do more housework -- a whopping 18 hours a week in 2011, not including 14 hours a week of childcare. By comparison, men did seven hours of childcare a week.

In the study, 49 percent of working moms and 34 percent of working dads say they always feel in a rush. Forty-nine percent of dads said they didn't get enough time with their kids, compared to 23 percent of mothers.

When it comes to self-ranking their parenting skills, most parents gave themselves good marks, with 24 percent saying they were doing an "excellent" job, while 45 percent said they were doing a "very good" job.

Findings are based on a new Pew Research survey of 2,511 US adults conducted in late 2012, and an analysis of the American Time Use Survey (ATUS). The ATUS, which began in 2003, includes interviews with more than 124,000 respondents. In addition, the researchers used comparable time diary data going back as far as 1965, which allowed for an analysis of trends over a nearly 50-year period.

Access the full report http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/03/14/modern-parenthood-roles-of-moms-and-dads-converge-as-they-balance-work-and-family/