“The WMRI survey finds that 7 in 10 men enjoy the ability to influence their schedule and do so without fear of negative consequences. For 47 percent of those surveyed, this flex comes in the form of a formal work arrangement, with 29 percent reporting that their flexible work schedule is a regular one that repeats week to week. Stephen Lawrence works a regular flex schedule as researcher at State Street Corp. in Cambridge, MA, working from home one day a week. His flex schedule began years ago as a way to free up one three-hour round-trip daily commute that left him with scant energy for his finance Ph.D thesis work, but became even more invaluable when his son was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. “I could look after my daughter, who was a baby, while my wife took our son to various doctor’s appointments and therapy,” says Stephen, dad to Peter,
7, and Grace, 5. As for work, he says, “I really have to work at it to make sure that I get the balance right and the communication right with everybody.” Flexibility is more fluid for Todd Goodwin, a vice president in information management for American Express, who shifts his work hours to accommodate pediatrician appointments or a soccer game for daughters Tyler, 15 and Madison, 12. “As more and more fathers and more and more leaders and managers are becoming parents themselves, they can relate to the need for me to leave, say, exactly at 5 or work from home a couple of days one week,” he says. “We’re all trying to manage the same work-family balance.” It’s a juggling act that is reflected
in how men see parenting and housework as well. The WMRI survey finds, for example, that most men believe partners should equally share child care responsibilities (88 percent) and chores (83 percent). Notably, too, while three-quarters of the men surveyed believe that “a parent should be home with kids after school,” 65 percent feel a working mother sets a positive example for children.”