We hear a lot about how many women sacrifice their career, or put it on hold, when they become mothers. This is all true and backed by research. But, as outlined during a recent press conference held ahead of Father’s Day last week, fathers also get to give up something – time with their family.

That too is a lot to sacrifice.

We still live in a society where, in the majority of cases, once a couple become parents, the woman slows down on her career while the man takes on the role of main breadwinner.

Yes, the career he worked so hard for is progressing – possibly unlike that

of his wife, which has stalled in the name of motherhood. But we cannot ignore the context within which this is happening.

Life is becoming more and more expensive. The cost of living has skyrocketed and prices have gone up for everything, from property and schooling to groceries and clothing.

A recent Eurobarometer survey found that nearly two-thirds of the Maltese are worried about rising prices. This was backed up by a MISCO survey finding that 83 per cent were concerned about the cost of living.

So being the main breadwinner comes with a lot of pressure to provide for a growing family in a financially difficult climate.

A few months ago, the former president of the Malta Chamber, Marisa Xuereb spoke about a need for a change in the culture that requires people to work 50 to 60 hours a week to make it to the next level.

More recently, Parliamentary Secretary for Reforms and Equality Rebecca Buttigieg said employers need to be “more proactive” when it comes to the introduction of family-friendly measures, such as remote and flexible working hours, to encourage parents to be equally involved in their children’s upbringing.

It’s been almost a year since the one-day birth leave of fathers was increased to 10 days of paternity leave – still far below the 18 weeks of maternity leave.

The culture we live and work in is leading to overworked fathers who get home too late at night to enjoy time with their children (the same culture that, pointed out by Xuereb, is making it impossible for mothers to move up the career ladder).

Equality Commissioner Renee Laiviera recently said she met many men who regretted they were not more involved in the lives of their children.

In reply to her comment, Kevin Camilleri, from the General Workers’ Union, said that, very often, the jobs they had did not allow them to reduce their hours and work flexible hours.

The pressure for a father to provide for his family is high and there is a ripple effect. What this often means is that a man who is unhappy at work will stay there because he literally cannot afford to stop working.

He does this for his family – at the cost of not seeing his family. This, of course, is also true for working mothers at times.

Martin Chetcuti, from the Foundation for Social Welfare Services, said that, apart from being expected to bring in the money, there were other societal expectations on fathers. As men, they were expected to be strong and never cry.

Men too are sentient beings. Most fathers want to spend time with the family they work so hard for.

But work pressures are keeping them away from their loved ones and societal expectations are blocking them from voicing how this is truly impacting their well-being and that of generations of children who are growing up with fathers who are rarely present in their lives.