'Give fathers a month off work to bond with their baby'

Fathers should have the legal right to a month off work after the birth of their children, a watchdog said today.

The demand from the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) came as a survey revealed how fathers' attitudes to caring for their babies have changed.

Almost eight out of 10 working fathers said they would be happy to stay at home and look after their offspring. But they also confessed to unhappiness about the short time they have to bond with their babies after the birth.

More than a third said they were "dissatisfied" with their paternity leave but were driven back to work by loss of pay and the unsympathetic attitudes of bosses.

Currently, fathers are entitled to a minimum of two weeks' paid paternity leave at ?106 a week and up to 13 weeks' parental leave up to the child's fifth birthday.

Under the latest government proposals new mothers would be able to transfer part of their maternity leave entitlement to the father.

However, the EOC said the proposals do not go far enough. It said both parents should be able to take time off in the second six months after the birth, so they have "an equal chance to care for their child".

The EOC is calling for:

Jenny Watson, acting chairwoman of the EOC, said: "Dads want to spend more time at home, caring for their baby."