In a revelation that might not surprise many, research indicates that fathers tend to take it easy on their days off, while mothers often find themselves juggling household chores and childcare. The New Parents Project, conducted by a team at Ohio State University, focused on 52 couples who were mostly well-educated, dual-income families in the Columbus area welcoming their first child. The findings were quite telling: women reported relaxing for only about 46 to 49 minutes on their days off, whereas men enjoyed a more leisurely 101 minutes while their partners handled the kids and housework.
In a classic case of “no kidding,” researchers had couples maintain “time diaries” for both workdays and non-workdays during the third trimester of pregnancy and three months postpartum. After the initial chuckles at the term “non-workday,” the results unfolded. The data showed that while the division of household and childcare responsibilities was somewhat more balanced on workdays, women still took on a larger share of the workload.
On days off, men reportedly spent 47 minutes during their partner’s pregnancy and a whopping 101 minutes after the baby arrived engaged in leisure activities. Apparently, after contributing to the household while their partners were pregnant, fathers felt the need to decompress once the baby was born. The study also noted that when fathers were tasked with childcare or chores, mothers frequently stepped in to assist—shocking, right?
While fathers managed to relax about 46 percent of their day off, moms only found time for leisure 16 percent of the time when the baby was cared for by their dads. One might wonder if “staring blankly at a wall questioning life choices” counts as a leisure activity.
“It’s disheartening,” remarked Laura Finch, the lead researcher and an associate professor of human sciences at Ohio State University. “Despite expectations of more equitable sharing of parenting duties among couples, household and childcare tasks remain disproportionately assigned.” Although fathers have made strides in their involvement over the past half-century, a Pew Research survey found that 48 percent of them feel they don’t spend enough time with their children. Interestingly, 53% of Americans believe mothers excel at caring for newborns—perhaps because they dedicate more time to it.
Despite the limited sample size of first-time parents, Finch emphasized the need for further investigation into how dual-income families divide household and childcare responsibilities. “Given that these couples are well-educated and both parents work, we would expect a more equitable distribution of tasks,” she noted. While not all fathers fit this mold and many contribute equally, this study suggests that there is still significant progress to be made in this area.
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In summary, a recent study underscores the disparity between how fathers and mothers allocate their time on days off, revealing that while dads tend to relax, moms are often still tied down by household responsibilities. This highlights the ongoing need for more equitable sharing of parenting duties, even among couples who might be expected to hold progressive views on family roles.