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Younger fathers are more likely to cling to outdated ideas that frame men as the money earners and women as caregivers, new research has found.

The Australian State of the World’s Fathers report is based on a global survey of 8,000 parents, with 533 from Australia.

The survey found 72% of gen Z fathers (18-28) in Australia think “a father’s sole responsibility is to provide financially for his children”, a number that drops to 61% for millennials (29-44) and to 57% for gen X (45-60).

It also found 65% of gen Z think “things are better if men do paid work and women do care work”, compared with 66% of millennials and 45% of gen X.

Australia’s millennials were the “most consistently traditional group” across all the caregiving questions, according to the study by The Fathering Project and Western Sydney University.

It found despite shifting attitudes around parents and care, and fathers wanting to be present in their children’s lives, there are still barriers to equality including financial pressures and entrenched gender norms.

Data released in 2025 showed Australian women spend almost twice as much time as men caring for children and relatives, despite women now doing much more paid work as well.

Most men believe they do their fair share, it found.

More than 40% of the parents in Australia surveyed for the State of the World’s Fathers report thought boys shouldn’t be taught domestic skills such as sewing, cooking and cleaning.

However, more than 90% said that care matters as much as paid work and that men who shared care were good partners.

The report authors wrote that the gender pay gap “can limit parents’ ability to make genuine choices about who earns and who cares”.

“Although many fathers aspire to be emotionally engaged caregivers, their involvement is often constrained by long work hours, inflexible employment conditions, limited access to childcare and persistent gender norms that position men as primary earners and women as primary carers.

“Evidence shows that supportive policies – such as paid parental leave and flexible work arrangements – are associated with increased paternal caregiving and positive outcomes for mothers, families, and gender equality.”

More men think care is split

Researchers said economic pressure and discourses about threats to masculinity could be intensifying among younger men, and that financial insecurity rather than income predicted a stronger endorsement of traditional gender norms.

The survey also found 80% of men said care was split evenly in their household, compared with 66% of women. The authors also noted that women described doing “the invisible coordination work” while fathers focused “on more discrete tasks”.

It also described the “care tax” of reduced work hours or stopping work entirely for caregiving, with 90% of parents agreeing that a four-day work week would allow them better work-life balance.

A researcher on the project, Western Sydney University’s Dr Alina Ewald, said changes by employers, government, health groups and policymakers were needed.

“We want to see the introduction of flexible working and childcare support as organisational norms, with the normalisation of fathers taking leave and working flexibly without career penalty,” she said.

Government should extend paid parental leave and have dedicated leave for fathers, and subsidise childcare for financially insecure families, she said. Health and community groups should offer father-specific support and screening for paternal postnatal depression, and policymakers should invest in accessibility for lone parents, culturally diverse families, and the financially insecure.

The Fathering Project board member Dr James Brown said there were systemic failures.

“Workplace cultures can make caregiving costly for dads, leave can be limited or unclear, and support services don’t always meet fathers’ needs. Additionally, economic conditions push families back toward gendered arrangements even when both partners want something different,” he said.

“The care tax falls differently on mothers and fathers, but both bear real costs that compound across a lifetime.

The system that constrains women also constrains men.”

‘A 70-30 split’

When his wife was six months pregnant with daughter Marlo – now nearly two – Zac Cracknell left his job to start his own swimming pool business.

The Queensland man said he feels tension between wanting to make as much money as possible, and work pulling him away from home.

“Even though care is something we share, the pressure to provide financially still sits heavily with me,” he said.

“It’s probably closer to a 70-30 split, with her taking on more of the hands-on care, even though she also works full-time.”

He said being his own boss is a plus in terms of flexibility.

“But that pro has a very big con, which is that you have to find a way to make the money. You’re wrestling with that work-life balance … it’s a double-edged sword,” he said.

“I’ve made the choice to come home at the right time to support my wife and my daughter. Coming home and seeing her run down the hallway, it’s the best.

“But at the back of my mind is that I’ve had to cut my work short.”