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When analyzing the role of men in the household, it's clear that those roles have changed over the years. Men spent 10 hours per week on chores in 2011, which is more than double the amount of time (four hours) they devoted to household duties in 1965.
Despite that more active role at home, many men still feel they are not spending enough time with their children. Professional commitments keep many men from spending ample time with their kids, and while it many not be realistic for most fathers to walk away from their careers, there are steps men can take to make more time for their families.
• Don't overextend yourself at the office. That willingness to take on extra work could be cutting into the time they spend with their families. Learn to delegate more at the office, taking on only what you can handle in a normal day's work. Taking on too many responsibilities can significantly cut into the time you have available for family.
• Turn off the television. You might be spending more time in front of the tube than you think, and that time on the couch is valuable time that could be spent connecting with your family. While bonding over a favorite movie or television show can bring families closer together, keeping the television on as background noise during dinner or other times of the day can make it harder for families to connect and share meaningful conversation. Turn the television off when eating dinner and work to reduce the time you and your family spend in front of the TV.
• Leave the office at a set time every day. It's possible to have a successful career and still spend more time with your family. One trick is to leave your office at a reasonable time every day, regardless of work demands. Making it home for family dinners each night can have a profound impact on your children. A survey from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse found that the more children have dinners with their parents, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs. Technology has made it possible to stay connected to your work even when you aren't in the office, so you can always get things done at home after dinner with your family while the kids are doing their homework.
• Stop working on weekends. Don't take your work home with you on the weekend and don't check your email until you go back to work on Monday. Work-related distractions, such as checking your email on your smartphone, can take away from the time you have with your family.