Changing Times
Changing Times
Sex differences in paid work, housework, and childcare, 1965-2022
The graph below shows the average number of hours per week that fathers vs. mothers invested into paid work, housework, and childcare in the United States from 1965 to 2022.
Some highlights:
Both sexes are doing more childcare today than they did in the 1960s, but with a bigger jump for fathers than mothers. Despite the jump, however, mothers are still doing notably more. This pattern is common in modern nations.
Fathers are doing more housework; mothers are doing less (though still considerably more than fathers).
Fathers are doing a little less paid work; mothers are doing a lot more (though still considerably less than fathers).
Total time spent on paid work, childcare, and housework is very similar for fathers and mothers, albeit generally slightly higher for fathers.
These are averages, of course, rather than descriptions of the modal father and mother. Plenty of mothers work longer hours than plenty of fathers; some fathers do more childcare than some mothers.
The graph comes from a fascinating recent article by Ben Smith, Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan, and Jay Fagan, writing for
’ American Institute for Boys and Men. The article is called “Dads Rock: The Evidence.” Check it out!Follow Steve on Twitter/X.
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