Dads just wanna raise kids

David Beckham, Jamie Oliver and Tom Cruise are famous for having successful careers AND being great dads. But most men would rather stay at home with their kids and let their partners go out to work, a new survey claims.

Eight out of 10 men would choose to quit work and raise their children if given the chance.

The poll for dads' magazine FQ also reveals that 47 per cent of men would put their career on hold if stay-at-home fathers received the same respect as men in full-time employment.

But while Beckham and other famous fathers don't have to worry about money, 68 per cent of the 3,000 18-42-year-olds questioned admitted that their main concern about taking a career-break to look after their children was running into financial difficulties.

Richard Hallows, who stays at home to look after his son, tells FQ that employers are placing increasing pressure on their staff to work late and socialise during weekends and evenings - time fathers should be spending with their children.

"It's definitely a strange feeling for a man not to be the one dragging home the dinosaur meat, but I have no doubt that I'm making as big a contribution to my family as I would be if I were going to work," he said.

"My son has spent more time with his dad in the first two years of his life than most boys ever will, and there is so much about that to enjoy that I can live with the fact that my wife is the one that brings home the salary."