Fathers are spending more quality time with their children, but there is still a long way to go before they are equal partners in parenting, a report from Save the Children has found.

The first-ever State of Australia's Fathers report, which involved the interviewing of more than 1,000 fathers, identifies significant changes in parenting attitudes among fathers with children over and under the age of 18.

Of fathers with children under the age of 18, 67 per cent attended pre-birth medical exams and check-ups. Only 42 per cent of fathers with children over 18 did.

Similarly, 71 per cent of fathers with children under the age 18 reported seeking advice on parenting, compared to just 43 per cent of fathers with children over 18.

Seventy per cent of fathers surveyed reported spending more quality time with their children than their fathers had spent with them.

"You very rarely hear of that old style of father," said John Deering, as he played with his 22-month old son, Thomas.

"The fathers that we interact with are very involved in their kids' lives."

Mr Deering has experienced the cultural shift in fatherhood first hand.

He recently turned down taking on extra responsibilities at work to spend more time with Thomas. He also has a 19-year-old son.

"It's certainly changed since my father's generation," he said.

"It's just more rewarding and I think fathers see that reward in the time they spend with their kids pays back a hundred fold."

Half of all fathers consider themselves 'helpers'

But the report found there is still a ways to go when it comes to day-to-day child rearing.

About 50 per cent of the fathers surveyed with children under 18 considered themselves "helpers" when it came to the care of their children, rather than a primary caregiver with equal responsibilities.

"Social attitudes have moved over the last decade or so," said Paul Ronalds, the chief executive of Save the Children Australia.

Paul Ronalds says fathers need to be more active in their children's lives. ( ABC News )

"But we were surprised by how far they still have to go. The report shows more traditional views about the roles of men and women prevail.

"We need more culture bearers [and] ambassadors to talk about their role as a father, and advocate for fathers to be more active in [their children's] lives," Mr Ronalds said.

The State of Australia's Fathers found a major obstacle to early bonding for fathers and their children was the relatively limited length of paid leave for fathers compared to other OECD countries.

The Federal Government's paid leave for dads is two weeks.

That is better than Canada or New Zealand, but it is well below the OECD average of 10 weeks paid leave for fathers.

France provides 28 weeks paid leave for fathers and Japan provides for one year of paid leave.

"We're quite a wealthy country," said Mr Deering, who would like to see paid leave for fathers extended.

"There's no reason why we can't improve the conditions, the ability of fathers to spend more time with their kids."

Along with more generous paid leave provisions for fathers, the report's other recommendations include:

Better training for child health professionals to engage with men

Better training for child health professionals to engage with men Encouraging child-centred social services to adopt father-inclusive practices

Encouraging child-centred social services to adopt father-inclusive practices The launch of a national ambassador campaign to promote the role fathers can play in their children's lives

There are now plans to release the State of Australia's Fathers reports annually. Save the Children Australia said that will allow it to build up an even more comprehensive picture of fatherhood in Australia.