Thursday, March 14, 2013

Dual-Income Couples in Balance

How equal is the division of labor for dual-income couples who are also busy raising children? According to a study of parents and their use of time, it is surprisingly fair.

Analyzing data from the American Time Use Survey, Pew Research Center examines how much time working husbands and wives with children under age 18 spend each week doing paid work, housework, and caring for children. The result: wives, 59 hours per week; husbands, 58 hours per week. You can't get much more equal than that.

Yes, husbands spend less time than wives doing housework (9 versus 16 hours per week). And they spend less time caring for children (7 versus 12 hours per week). But husbands spend more time than wives doing paid work (42 versus 31 hours). Consequently, dual-income mothers and fathers devote an almost identical amount of time to family needs.

Source: Pew Research Center, Modern Parenthood

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