Couples argue over David Beckham... because dads find it hard to be as perfect as him

Not because the mother fancies him, but because the father feels under pressure to be a so-called "perfect dad".

Unrealistic portrayals of fatherhood by celebrities such as Beckham, who are perceived to combine work, fitness and success with sharing the burden of childcare, leaves many men questioning their relationship.

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A poll of 4,000 fathers by the website Netmums.com found that, because of this, a third of them were unsure if they would stay with their partner for good.

And it seems being a modern hands-on parent also brings its pressures on men, with more than 40 per cent believing they may have suffered from a male version of post-natal depression.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, family finance tops the list of factors which put fathers under pressure, at 74 per cent.

With the modern mother increasingly relying on her partner to give her a break from the kids in the evenings and at weekends, the survey suggests that 45 per cent of fathers are under stress because of domestic duties.

With trips to the pub and the golf course increasingly replaced by hoovering and nappy changing duties, more than half of today's fathers (52 per cent) are left frustrated by their lack of "me-time".

Forty-five per cent complain about lack of sleep, and 41 per cent lack of sex.

The main cause of arguments with partners is money, (21 per cent) followed by the other person feeling unappreciated (14 per cent) and household chores (10 per cent), according to the poll.

Sally Russell, director of Netmumscom, said: "In the past the male and female parenting roles have been very clearly defined, but we are now seeing increasing numbers of parents both opting to work.

"There are also fewer stay-at-home mums, meaning the role boundaries are increasingly blurring.

"It's vital that for a successful relationship you are both provided with the time and space to be an individual as well as a parent and that you take time out to realise the positives in your partner."

The website has teamed up with the leading family relationship organisation, One plus One, to develop a course which can be taken on-line.

Designed to help users see their relationship in a different light, it will be available on the Netmums.com/relationships website from Monday.

The course is being funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families' Parent Know-How Programme.