British dads are world’s worst

When it comes to sharing childcare responsibilities, British fathers rank far behind the rest of the developed world. A research found that Britain's men provide only 24 minutes of care for every hour provided by women, putting the UK at the bottom of a list of 15 countries, the Independent reported.

Portuguese dads have grabbed the top spot in the list as they spend 39 minutes looking after children for every hour a woman puts in. The Fatherhood Institute's Fairness In Families Index (FIFI) also found that British parents are better at sharing chores than childcare, with men doing 34 minutes of housework and cooking for every hour a woman does, placing the UK fifth out of 15 countries.

Fatherhood Institute chair Will McDonald said that the analysis showed that compared to other countries, the UK has failed to create the structures to support families to achieve the greater sharing that they want and that is so important for the children's futures. "This needs to change, or we will continue to fall behind."

The UK pay gap between men and women was the 15th worst out of 22 countries, with a 17.4 per cent difference. The country with the fairest pay across the sexes was New Zealand with just 5.6 per cent difference. The findings were published ahead of Father's Day, on June 19, and alongside findings suggested policy changes the government could make to progress gender equality.