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Dads Are Doing Less at Home Again

Both moms and dads spent more time looking after their kids in the pandemic, but mothers continue to do the heavy lifting

Father with his little son working from home

Source: Getty Images

When the pandemic disrupted everything, it also thrust fathers into the home like never before. It was a moment that looked like it could bring some relief to working moms. Dads had the flexibility – and the desire – to take on more responsibility. Then, the world got in the way.

Back in 2020, while Lindsey Jackson and her husband Clarence were both stuck working from home, they were splitting household chores and child care for their two-year-old son just about evenly. But now that Clarence, a financial advisor at JPMorgan Chase & Co., is going back to the office and Lindsey isn't, things are shifting to mean Lindsey is taking on more. She’s so busy she has to cook dinner and bathe her son at the same time.