More dads looking to balance work and family

by Eve Tahmincioglu

As fathers across the nation were celebrated on Sunday for being great dads, a new study on fatherhood shows that an increasing number of men are seeking alternatives to a traditional 40-hour workweek in order to spend more time with their kids.

Take Michael Sherman, 38, who last year moved out of his law offices in Mobile, Ala., and into a home office, cut his case load and hours by more than half and started homeschooling his four kids, ages 2 to 12.

Sherman said he was feeling burned out by his divorce and family law practice. His stressful workload, coupled with the fact that his oldest child was in middle school and before he knew it his kids would be off to high school then college, prompted the change. “Time was flying by,” he said.

Jason Chupick, media director for public relations firm Crenshaw Communications in New York, also wanted to make sure he had time for his 2-year old son. So when he found a new job, he chose an employer that allowed him to craft a flexible schedule.

He now works three days a week, leaving at 4:30 p.m. so he can pick up his son from day care.

“I needed the flexibility,” he said.

Like Sherman and Chupick, more dads are starting to stand up and ask for more flexible work arrangements — from time off after a baby is born to reduced hours and days. Such options were once thought to be a mother’s domain, but now an increasing number of dads want to be more hands-on in raising their kids. Others are driven by economics: a wife might earn more money or not have flexibility at work.


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