Current:Home > ScamsWomen are earning more money. But they're still picking up a heavier load at home-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Women are earning more money. But they're still picking up a heavier load at home
View Date:2024-12-24 00:40:05
A new report confirms what many already know to be true: Women are bringing home the bacon and frying it up too.
Even as their contributions to family incomes have grown in recent years, women in opposite-sex marriages are still doing more housework and caregiving than men, a report from the Pew Research Center has found.
Moreover, in 2023, a majority of people believe society still values men's contributions at work more than their contributions at home, according to the report, which was based on three different national surveys.
"I think public attitudes are kind of lagging behind the economic realities that husbands and wives are facing these days," says Kim Parker, director of social trends research at the Pew Research Center.
The share of men who are the primary or sole breadwinners in their families has fallen as women have entered the labor force in large numbers, broken into lucrative occupations and outpaced men in educational attainment, Parker says.
What Pew calls "egalitarian marriages" are on the rise.
Last year, 29% of marriages were "egalitarian," with husbands and wives each contributing roughly half of the couple's combined earnings. That compares to little more than 10% in 1972.
But in "egalitarian marriages," wives are still spending more than double the amount of time on housework than their husbands (4.6 hours per week for women vs. 1.9 hours per week for men), and almost two hours more per week on caregiving, including tending to children.
Husbands, meanwhile, spend roughly three hours more per week than their wives on paid work, and three and a half hours more on leisure activities.
"We've seen a narrowing of the gap over the years with men taking on more hours of housework and childcare as more women have gone into the workplace," says Parker.
"But that imbalance — we still see it today. It's definitely not equal."
An imbalance rooted in attitudes about where women and men belong
That can partly be blamed on attitudes and expectations about the roles of men and women at work and home, Parker says.
More than half (57%) of the 5,152 people Pew surveyed said society puts more stock in what men do at work. Only 7% said they think society values what men do at home more.
Meanwhile, only 20% of respondents said society values what women do at work more, whereas 31% said society values women's contributions at home more. (The remaining share said society values contributions to work and home equally.)
Younger Americans were the most likely to say that the contributions women make at home are valued more by society.
"They're almost more cynical about it," says Parker, noting older Americans are more likely to say society values women's contributions in both spheres equally.
"Maybe they've witnessed the change over their lifetime," she says. "Whereas for young people — they might just see the imbalance now, but they haven't lived through the arc of advancements women have made in the workplace."
The new head of the Institute for Women's Policy Research says that she's heartened by the increasing attention being given to persistent imbalances in American marriages.
"I think that in the past, there was an assumption that there were certain roles that you play, and that's what women do, whether you make more or make less," says Daisy Chin-Lor, who herself earned as much as — and then more than — her husband during her long corporate career, and still carried a heavier workload at home.
"In today's world, I see my son taking much more of an active role in being a parent because he wants to, because he can."
Most Americans believe children do well when mom and dad focus equally on work and home
A broad majority of survey participants — 77% — said children of working parents are better off when both mom and dad focus equally on work and home.
Only 1 in 5 said children are better off when dad is more focused on his job and mom is more focused on home life.
Only 1 in 50 said the reverse — that children are better off when mom is more focused on work and dad is home taking care of things.
Within that data there are sizable differences in opinion depending on a respondent's political leanings. More Democrats than Republicans say it's better for both parents to be focused equally on job and home (85% of Democrats vs. 68% of Republicans), and close to 3 in 10 Republicans feel children are better off when dads are more focused on work and mom more on children and the home.
veryGood! (36932)
Related
- Lane Kiffin puts heat on CFP bracket after Ole Miss pounds Georgia. So, who's left out?
- Alex Pettyfer and Toni Garrn Break Up After Two Years of Marriage
- NOAA predicts a 'near-normal' hurricane season. But that's not good news
- Rita Ora and Taika Waititi Bring the Love and Looks to 2023 Met Gala
- Diddy's ex-bodyguard sues rape accuser for defamation over claims of 2001 assault
- Sharna Burgess Details Brian Austin Green and Megan Fox's Co-Parenting Relationship
- Christina Ashten Gourkani, OnlyFans Model and Kim Kardashian Look-Alike, Dead at 34
- Legendary Talk Show Host Jerry Springer Dead at 79
- Jessica Simpson's Husband Eric Johnson Steps Out Ringless Amid Split Speculation
- Meghan Markle Responds to Report About Alleged Letter to King Charles III
Ranking
- Reese Witherspoon's Daughter Ava Phillippe Introduces Adorable New Family Member
- Why Dylan Mulvaney Is Returning to Social Media Amid “Cruel” Brand Deal Criticism
- How to prepare for the 2023 hurricane season with climate change in mind
- Efforts to recharge California's underground aquifers show mixed results
- Walmart Planned to Remove Oven Before 19-Year-Old Employee's Death
- Lily Collins and Camila Morrone's Esthetician Reveals the Acne Treatment Hiding in Your Kitchen
- The Lip Gloss Cheek Makeup Trend Is the Easiest Way to Elevate Your Blush Game
- 20 Mother's Day Gifts Your Wife Actually Wants
Recommendation
-
What Just Happened to the Idea of Progress?
-
Proof Lizzo Is Feeling Good As Hell on the Met Gala 2023 Red Carpet
-
What Chilli's Son Tron Thinks of Her Romance With Matthew Lawrence
-
Save 50% On These Top-Selling Tarte Glossy Lip Balms Before They Sell Out
-
Threat closes Spokane City Hall and cancels council meeting in Washington state
-
CNN Denies Don Lemon's Claims About His Departure From Network
-
Jamie Lee Curtis Congratulates Film Daughter Lindsay Lohan on Pregnancy With the Ultimate Message
-
Pregnant Meghan Trainor Apologizes for Controversial F--k Teachers Comment