A new study, based on 800 hours of video footage of dual-earner middle-income families, has been released by UCLA’s “Center on Everyday Lives of Families”. Among the findings are that moms still do more at home than fathers — but much of the difference is based on the fact that mothers return home first after work. The study finds that “during the time that fathers are home, they spend a proportionately equal amount of time involved in activities as mothers.”
The study also finds that fathers and mothers spend nearly-equal amounts of time talking with family members or on the phone (19% of time for mothers and 20% of time for fathers). This may help debunk a myth that men tend to be more silent or less expressive than women. However, the study shows that women still do most of the housework, according to the New York Times. Mothers spend 27% of their time on housework; dads spend 18%; and children spend just 3%.
The study reveals some fascinating information about stress levels in families, the benefits (or lack thereof) of providing allowances to children, and various other facets of modern middle-class American families.