By Alex Mitchell

Outdated gender norms, including men as financial providers, are holding back fathers’ ability to care for their children, a study suggests.

Australian State of the World’s Fathers research found almost two-thirds (63 per cent) of men did not feel “man enough” unless they provide financially for their family

One shocking statistic found more than four in 10 parents did not think boys should be taught domestic skills such as cooking and cleaning.

It’s an attitude advocates said did serious damage to society and the pursuit of gender equality.

The paper found the male provider expectation was intensifying in younger men and said online discourse, which included damaging ‘manosphere’ social media content, was driving that in part.

The researchers said government initiatives like more paid parental leave for fathers, along with flexible working arrangements driven by employers, could continue to shift expectations of families.

“Economic conditions push families back toward gendered arrangements even when both partners want something different,” The Fathering Project board member James Brown 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.”

Family and domestic violence campaigner Harrison James said some of the statistics showed parents embedding harmful gender roles in their children from an early age.

“If four in 10 parents believe boys shouldn’t be taught domestic duties, we are still teaching them care and responsibility and contribution to the household is beneath them,” he told AAP.

He said it causes real damage, not just to girls and women, but to boys themselves.

“As a society, we can’t claim we want equality while still raising boys to believe the home is not their responsibility … that statistic really tells us that gender inequality is still being normalised in everyday family life.”

Worryingly, the study found fathers aged 29 or younger were more likely that older men to believe a father’s sole responsibility is providing financially.

It also found nine in 10 parents viewed parental leave as having helped them bond with their child and become happier parents.

Western Sydney University researcher Alina Ewald said for employers, the work-care conflict was a key barrier to caregiving time.

She argued for the “normalisation of fathers taking leave and working flexibly without career penalty”.

“For government, we recommend extending paid parental leave for fathers, with dedicated, non-transferable leave periods and investment in subsidised childcare for financially insecure families,” she said.