Technology & Ideas
Parents’ Chores and Child Care Almost Double During Pandemic
It’s more than a second job at this point: Working mothers now report spending 65 hours a week on unpaid labor.
Photographer: Belinda Howell/Moment RF via Getty Images
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Working parents are taking on an additional 28 hours a week of household chores and child care during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a recent survey, with women taking on a disproportionate share.
Mothers already did a majority of such work in two-career households: 35 hours a week before the pandemic, compared with 25 hours a week by fathers. Since schools, day cares and most workplaces have closed to limit contagion, the disparity has grown. Women now report spending a total of 65 hours per week on housework and child care; men report a total of 50.