Around 600,000 fathers in the UK are now stay-at-home dads according to a new survey – up tenfold in ten years.

The results of the survey of 1,000 parents suggest around 6% of fathers are now their child's primary carer. The majority who took part in the web survey for insurance firm Aviva said the reason for this was because the mother earned more money.

The figures also suggested 18% of couples shared childcare responsibilities equally.

Adrienne Burgess, research director at the Fatherhood Institute, said: “Men want to spend more time with their children, men [are] becoming aware that they haven't had it all.

"In their relationship with their children they've had less contact than the mother."