This article shows the statistical trends in fathers’ employment, for couple and single fathers over recent decades. Trends indicate that while mothers’ employment changes considerably after having a child, fathers’ employment shows little change.

Key messages:

• While fathers today may be more involved in child care, for most families the number of hours fathers spend in employment remains the same before and after having children.
• Single fathers have more diverse work patterns with higher proportions in part-time work or not employed.
• Fathers are more likely to choose flexible work or working from home arrangements rather than reduce work hours to fit work around child care