When it comes to parenting, a new report finds nine in 10 Aussie dads say they have an equal responsibility to care for their kids.

But Australia’s parenting arrangements are anything but even.

Government figures show 170,200 women accessed government-funded paid parental leave last year.

The number of men? Just 1,020.

Eighty-five per cent of new dads feel the pressure to stick to the coalface, not the kitchen table.

“Gender stereotypes about men being breadwinners, the impact of the gender pay gap, and men’s higher salaries mean Dads keep working,” said Káti Gapaillard, CEO of The Fathering Project.

“The troubling reality is that men are really not utilising parental leave.

Businesses are now being urged to do their bit.

“We need cultural change. Business leaders need to be role-modelling taking leave, encouraging it,” Gapaillard said.

The government is hoping to encourage dads to take some parental leave by reserving two of the 20 weeks available from July next year to be used exclusively by the secondary caregiver.

The question now, whether that’s enough to convince Aussie Dad’s to take up the offer.