Forty-two per cent of parents born between the early 1980’s and the end of the 1990’s, said they felt energy-sapped most or all of the time, compared with 22 per cent of 36 to 45-year-olds and 17 per cent of over 45’s.
Thirty eight per cent of millennials said they would take a pay-cut to better achieve the elusive work-life balance. This was compared to 28 per cent over all.
Career progression that means working long hours and missing out on family life is less appealing to younger parents, according to the research in the 2016 Modern Families Index.
Higher earning respondents to the survey of 1,000 parents with a child aged 14 or under, were more able to access flexible working arrangements.
Denise Priest, director of strategic partnerships at nursery care provider Bright Horizons, which co-managed the survey, said, ‘The 2016 Modern Families Index shows that millennials are doings things differently at work and at home, and have a strong desire to be involved with their children and families.
‘This is the new generation of parents who are rebooting traditional working and caring patterns, but also challenging embedded notions of engagement and loyalty in the workplace. However, these increased expectations continue to bump up against working commitments, leading to stress and in some cases burnout.’
Sarah Jackson, chief executive of charity Working Families, said: ‘The sands are shifting – younger parents are more likely to share care than the generations before them. But they're on shaky ground because working life hasn’t caught up.’
Last year's survey revealed more than a third of fathers have faked illness to meet family commitments.