A third of fathers-to-be 'want to become house husbands'

A third of fathers-to-be want to give up work to become full-time house husbands, a survey published today reveals.

A third of fathers-to-be want to give up work to become full-time house husbands, a survey published today reveals.

The great majority of men say they do not want to continue in full-time work once they have had children. A poll of 2,000 pregnant women and their partners found that men wanted to spend more time with their children - but money worries kept them at work.

While two thirds of fathers-to-be admitted they were "scared" of prospective parenthood, the main cause for anxiety was financial rather than loss of their freedoms. The biggest cause of fear was money, followed by sleepless nights, with only 13 per cent fretting about restrictions to their freedom.

Eight out of 10 men questioned for the survey, for Pregnancy and Birth magazine, said they enjoyed staying in with their pregnant partner, while only 17 per cent preferred to go out with their friends.

Just 34 per cent of men wanted to continue in full-time work once they had had children, with 33 per cent preferring to go part time and another third prepared to become stay-at-home fathers.

Elena Dalrymple, the editor of the magazine, said: "Men want to be fathers just as much as women want to be mothers.

"Modern fathers pour their life and soul into fatherhood and should have the same or similar rights to mothers."

In an age of celebrity hero-worship, it is touching that most men cite their own father as their role model. Most men questioned chose their own parent as the best example of fatherhood, although the David Beckham and the chef Jamie Oliver were the next best choices.

Michael Jackson's baby dangling stunt gave him the dubious honour of being the worst role model, followed by the Oasis singer Liam Gallagher and Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones.