The world has moved on since Martin Allen was fined £1,500 for dashing away from a QPR match 20 years ago to be at the birth of his son. But has anyone told Wayne Rooney?
The Manchester United and England striker revealed that he had yet to change a nappy since his son, Kai, was born ten days ago and said that fatherhood had not changed him.
So committed is Rooney to his profession that he called Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, within hours of the birth on November 2 to persuade him that he was ready to play the next evening. He came off the bench for the Champions League fixture to help his team draw 3-3 with CSKA Moscow in Manchester.
Speaking about his son’s birth for the first time yesterday, Rooney said: “I don’t really feel any different, I’m really proud. Nothing changes for me. I just want to play.” But he did not rule out changing a nappy in the future. “I’m working on it,” he said.
The Fatherhood Institute, which conducts research into men and parenting, said that Rooney was one of an increasingly small group of fathers who avoided getting their hands dirty. “Loads of fathers now realise the importance of being hands-on from the beginning, so it is odd to hear this sort of thing. In the past a lot of fathers said things like this and wore it as a badge of honour. But it is strange to hear such a young man say it. He looks like a bit of a dinosaur,” said Adrienne Burgess, head of research.
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“Some guys take longer to adjust to parenthood and don’t begin to feel like a father for a long time. It’s a shame for both him and the baby. It’s a bit of a sad comment really. Hopefully he will adjust.”
Rooney’s short paternity leave has also been the source of comment. Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Nick Clegg all took paternity leave, but the legal right to two weeks off has not caught on in the world of football.
Although David Beckham did not miss any games after his children were born, he failed to turn up for training when one of his sons fell ill. He was fined £50,000 by Manchester United.
But it is not just footballers who feel under pressure or want to go back to work. Research from the Equalities and Human Rights Commission found that almost half of all new fathers did not take their entitlement. Of the 45 per cent who did not have two weeks, most said that they would have liked to but could not afford it. Others said that they were concerned that it would damage career prospects.
Despite the low take-up of paternity leave, the Government wants to give fathers the remaining six months of their partner’s maternity leave if the mother goes back to work after the first six months. The Conservatives are considering offering mothers and fathers the same rights to time off.