This may not come as a surprise to millions of working mothers. And their partners probably know it too. But a comprehensive study of 21 000 people suggests that the rise of ”new men” has been greatly exaggerated.
According to the survey, the average American working woman spends twice as much time each day on housework and childcare as the average working male. He spends more time in bed, watches more television and plays more sport.
The study by the United States department of labour is the first phase of a larger programme to determine how Americans divide their lives between work and recreation.
It found that on average the American man spends more time at the office than his female counterpart.
He also spends a large chunk of time watching television.
It confirmed that while women are now approaching parity in the labour force — with 78% of them holding jobs, compared with 85% of men — their list of responsibilities is longer if they are married and have children.
During the week, married men with children spend almost nine hours a day at work, while women in fulltime occupations are at their jobs for seven hours 45 minutes. But in addition, the average woman spends far more time keeping the household running and caring for children.
After a full day’s work, she spends one and a half hours cleaning the home and making meals, compared with less than 45 minutes for a man.
Looking after her children absorbs another one and a half hours of the average woman’s day during the week, compared with 50 minutes for the average male. For working women with children under the age of six, time spent on childcare rose to two hours 14 minutes a day during the week.
The imbalance did not significantly change at weekends, when women spent even more time on housework — two hours 21 minutes. The average married man used the extra time to double his weekend TV viewing, two hours 12 minutes, compared with one hour 19 minutes during the week. Sport took up just 19 minutes a day on the weekends for the average man, and six minutes for the average woman.
But there was equality in sleep deprivation. Both men and women get by with under seven and a half hours sleep.
The study asked 21 000 men and women to account for their activities in a 24-hour period as part of a project to track changes in US lifestyles. – Guardian Unlimited Â