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OCR Page 1 of 31THE NEW YORK TIMES NATIONAL WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15. 1998
Men Assuming Bigger Share
TRENDS
Life With Father
AtHome, New Survey Shows
A new survey snows that
working men are spending
By TAMAR LEWIN
ers and fathers say they do not have
more time with their children
Working men have begun to shoul-
enough time to spend with their chil-
Time (hours) for children for
Las Vegas, NV
a far greater share of responsi-
dren. Despite the increased time
married employees working 20
Bility for child care and household
men are purting in. 56 percent of
SUN
or more hours a week with
mores, according to a new survey.
employed mothers said they wished
children under 18.
Las Vagas
The study, by the Families and
the fathers would spend more time
with their children, and 43 percent
WORKDAYS
Met Area
Vork Institute, a nonprofit research
wished the men would do more
MEN
WOMEN
moup based in New York, suggests
D 53,926
that since 1977, when the Depart-
household chores.
1977
1.3
3.3
Wednesday
signt of Labor conducted a similar
The Families and Work Institute
survey found that working fathers
1997
2.3
3.0
Study, there has been a gradual con-
APR
15,
1998
rgence in the way men and women
spent an average of 2.3 workday
NON-WORKDAYS
in the work force use their time.
hours caring for. and doing things
"You look through all these num-
with, their children, a half-hour more
1977
5.2
Kansas City, MO
bers and you begin to hear a theme
than the average reported in the
song about men and women." said
Department of Labor survey 20
1997
6.4
Star
Ellen Galinsky, president of the insti-
years ago. Working mothers spend
tute. "There are real changes in
more time with their children but
and more time on chores.
Kansas City
what men and women are doing. For
their time commitment has not
WORKDAYS
Met Area
example, men put in 30 percent as
changed much since 1977. On their
men
WOMEN
Wadnesday
D 291.440
much time on workday chores as
days off, both working men and
women are spending about an hour
1977
1.2
3.3
women in 1977, but now it's up to 75
percent. We see that gap closing in
more with their children than they
1997
2.1
2.3
lots of different areas."
did 20 years ago, with women devot-
APR 15, 1998
One surprising result of the sur-
ing about 8 hours, and men 6.
NON-WORKDAYS
vey, the largest and most compre-
Men are also spending more time.
and women less. on household work
1977
4.0
hensive of its kind in recent years, is
that despite the rise in the number of
than they did 20 years ago - and
1997
4.9
dual-income families, children under
both sexes spend less time on person-
18 are getting somewhat more atten-
al activities than they used to. Over.
Source: Families and Work Institute
tion from their working parents than
the last 20 years, women's. workday
they did 20 years ago, mostly be-
time on chores has decreased by
The New York Times
cause of the change in fathers be-
about half an hour a day, to 2.8 hours,
havior.
while men's time has increased by
the spillover usually goes the other
Ever since the 1970's, when large
nearly an hour to 2.1 hours in 1997.
way. We say, 'It's the job, stupid.'
numbers of women entered the work
Men spend about an hour and a
Companies need to be looking for
force, working mothers have com-
half on personal activities on an av-
ways to address the stresses of
plained that they bore far too much
erage workday, half an hour less
work."
of the load for the second shift; the
than 20 years ago. And women have
Employees have less sense of job
about an hour and a quarter of per-
security than in the past. Compared
sonal time a day, down a little less
with the 1977. survey, more workers
than a half hour since 1977.
said that their jobs required them to
A surprising finding:
Elder care was a widespread re-
work very hard and very fast, and
sponsibility. A quarter of those sur-
veyed had provided care to an eld-
that they never had enough time to
children are getting
eriy relative during the preceding
ger everything done. Today's work-
more attention.
year. More than one-third of them
ers are also much more likely than
had reduced their work hours or tak-
their 1977 counterparts to bring work
en time off to provide that care, and
home.
&
GO
men were just as likely as employed
On the positive side, employees
hours of child care and household
women to have done so. Workers
reported a. surprising. level of work
chores it takes to keep a family go-
with elder care responsibility spend
place flexibility: Almost half said
ing.
an average of nearly 11 hours a week
they could choose, within some range
providing assistance. with men and
of hours. when to start and end their
What particularly irritated many
working mothers was that while they
women putting in equal time.
workdays. And 19 percent said they
were frantically cooking, cleaning
Employees generally are working
spent part of their regular workweek
and arranging play dates, working
3.5 hours a week longer than they did
working at home.
fathers were spending more time on
20 years ago. - and 13 percent have
The survey found that 85 percent
themselves than on caring for their
more than one job.
of American wage and salaried
children, a perception borne out by
On average, men work 49 hours a
workers lived with family members
the data from 1977. But the new
week while women, who are more
and had day-to-day family responsi-
survey shows that has changed:
likely to have part-time jobs, aver-
bilities. Nearly half have children
age 42. Men with children under. 18
working fathers now spend more
under 18 living with them, and nearly
work slightly longer hours than other
time doing things with their children
1 in 5 employed parents is single.
men, while women with children un-
than they spend on themselves.
Among employed single parents,
der 18 work fewer hours than other
The survey authors caution that
about 27 percent are men.
women.
the time estimates are self-reported,
The survey, conducted for the in-
Among men and women alike, 53
and may be biased by workers' view
stitute by Louis Harris and Associ-
percent say they would like to work
of what the socially desirable re-
ates, is based on 3,551 telephone in-
fewer hours, an increase of 17 per-
sponse would be; the extent to which
centage points since the Families
terviews with a nationally represent-
that bias may have changed, or been
and Work Institute asked the ques-
ative sample of employed adults. The
magnified, since 1977 is unknown.
tion in a 1992 survey.
margin of sampling error is plus or
The authors also point out that time
Over all, the study found there was
minus two percentage points.
spent caring for. children may over-
more negative spillover. from job
-
The rise in dual-income couples
lap with time doing chores, like when
pressures onto home life than from
since 1977 has been dramatic: two-
a parent is talking to a child while
family pressures into work life.
thirds of the married male employ-
doing the dishes.
"Most of the early work-family
ees with children under 18 now have
But, they say, the data do seem to
programs companies put together
employed spouses, compared with
indicate a real shift in how much
were aimed at preventing family
slightly under half in 1977. When one
attention children of working parents
problems from spilling over into
member of a dual-income family has
are getting - although no effort was
work," Ms. Galinsky said. "Compa-
to take time off to care for a sick
made to consider what parents actu-
nies would offer help with finding
child, 83 percent of mothers say they
aily do with their children in that
child care or elder care so employ-
are likely to be the one to take time
time.
ees' work performance would not be
off: only 22 percent of the fathers
Still, 70 percent of working moth-
affected. But what we found is that
make that claim.
Relations
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