A new Deakin University study exploring why some men choose not to have children aims to shed insights into a topic that has had little air time in Australia.

Deakin University researcher Dr David Demmer is looking for men to take part in an online survey focusing on their experiences with psychological therapy.

According to Parents at Work CEO Emma Walsh, there is a “a myriad of parental leave policy out their concocted by employers.” So it’s not surprising many men in Australia don’t use it.

“It’s a bit of a dog’s breakfast,” Walsh told the Australian Fatherhood Research Symposium last week at Deakin University, Melbourne.

NSW 2012 scientist of the year Professor John Aitken knows a great deal about fertility - in men and women.

The Chair in Biological Sciences at the University of Newcastle has specifically been paying attention to male infertility and the long-term damaging impacts of environmental, physical and social factors, such as smoking, dietary choices, carrying a mobile phone around and excessive exposure to herbicides and pesticides.

Professor Paul Ramchandani, a leading UK researcher into the area of fathers’ mental health, is a keynote speaker at a fatherhood Symposium taking place at Deakin University, Melbourne, in early May.