How Americans spend time on work and family
A study by the Council on Contemporary Families, Making Time for Work and Family: Got Data? looks at balancing work and family.
The study found that mothers do 14 more hours paid work than they did 40 years ago and 14 less hours of housework as well as 4 more hours of childcare.
Additionally, despite stereotypes to the contrary, dads have increased their participation in housework and child care over the past 30 years. Also, notable, is that fathers who work part time use their extra time on housework and childcare.
I like the fact that the study didn’t say “help out” when describing a father’s share of the work around the house. That terminology has always irritated me.
“Helping out” describes something optional, or that you’re doing a favor for someone. Caring for your children and doing housework is just what needs to be done, a mother isn’t in charge by default and a father isn’t an assistant who asks what needs to be done next.
It’s interesting reading, though in real life, I don’t stop to think much about who spends hours on what around our house. Like Nike says, we just do it.
(via: Working Dad)
I think 40 years ago it would have been more apt to have been said that the dads “help out” but today as you say it is to the credit of the author that they did not use this as the explanation.
Although marketing people don’t either agree or seem to have caught up yet, because look at any “parenting” type magazine and it is almost exclusively targeted to women and women alone.