The proportion of fathers taking time off to welcome their children jumped from 38 per cent to 55 per cent between 2001 and 2006, the federal statistics agency reported Wednesday.

Statistics Canada's Navigating Family Transitions 2006 survey found that while the proportion of mothers taking time off work stayed stable at 90 per cent, there are many more dads seeking time at home after childbirth or adoption.

But the dads don't stay home for nearly as long. Two-thirds of fathers returned to work within a month of the arrival of the child. Half of the mothers returning to work stayed home between 12 and 47 months, a third returned in between six and 11 months.

While mothers usually took formal maternity leave, the dads tended to use vacation time or unpaid leave rather than paid parental leave. The federal government extended parental leave to up to 35 weeks in 2001, but the benefits only replace a proportion of salary.

Not returning to work was selected by 23 per cent of parents. More than half of them (54 per cent) told the survey they chose to stay home because they wanted to raise their children themselves. Many parents also stayed home because of a subsequent pregnancy.

The cost of child care made the decision for 24 per cent of parents who did not return to work. These parents tended to be part-time workers and had less seniority in their former jobs, according to the report.

For the parents heading back to work, 86 per cent reported that they were satisfied with their return to work despite its challenges. Mothers found the transition stressful in six out of 10 cases, and one-fifth reported it as very stressful. Most dads did not rate the change as stressful.

The data is drawn from the General Social Survey conducted between June and October 2006. The survey interviewed 23,608 people aged 15 or older living in private households across the provinces.