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Marital Status and Mothers’ Time Use: Childcare, Housework, Leisure, and Sleep

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  • Joanna R. Pepin

    (University of Maryland)

  • Liana C. Sayer

    (University of Maryland)

  • Lynne M. Casper

    (University of Southern California)

Abstract

Assumptions that single mothers are “time poor” compared with married mothers are ubiquitous. We tested theorized associations derived from the time poverty thesis and the gender perspective using the 2003–2012 American Time Use Surveys (ATUS). We found marital status differentiated housework, leisure, and sleep time, but did not influence the amount of time that mothers provided childcare. Net of the number of employment hours, married mothers did more housework and slept less than never-married and divorced mothers, counter to expectations of the time poverty thesis. Never-married and cohabiting mothers reported more total and more sedentary leisure time than married mothers. We assessed the influence of demographic differences among mothers to account for variation in their time use by marital status. Compositional differences explained more than two-thirds of the variance in sedentary leisure time between married and never-married mothers, but only one-third of the variance between married and cohabiting mothers. The larger unexplained gap in leisure quality between cohabiting and married mothers is consistent with the gender perspective.

Suggested Citation

  • Joanna R. Pepin & Liana C. Sayer & Lynne M. Casper, 2018. "Marital Status and Mothers’ Time Use: Childcare, Housework, Leisure, and Sleep," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 55(1), pages 107-133, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:demogr:v:55:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s13524-018-0647-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s13524-018-0647-x
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    3. Rao, Aliya, 2021. "Gendered interpretations of job loss and subsequent professional pathways," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 111866, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    4. Taryn W. Morrissey, 2023. "The minimum wage and parent time use," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 21(3), pages 1043-1062, September.
    5. Malghan, Deepak & Swaminathan, Hema, 2021. "Global trends in intra-household gender inequality," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 189(C), pages 515-546.
    6. Han, Jeehoon & Kaiser, Caspar, 2021. "Time use and happiness: Evidence across three decades," SocArXiv qjdmu, Center for Open Science.
    7. Molly A. Martin & Margaret Gough Courtney & Adam M. Lippert, 2022. "The Risks and Consequences of Skipping Meals for Low-Income Mothers," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(6), pages 2613-2644, December.
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    9. Nicola Daniele Coniglio & Rezart Hoxhaj & Huber Jayet, 2023. "The most precious resource: time allocation of immigrants in the U.S," EGEIWP 02-2023, Dipartimento di Economia e Finanza - Università degli Studi di Bari "Aldo Moro", revised Dec 2023.
    10. Jennifer L. Hook & Eunjeong Paek, 2020. "A Stalled Revolution? Change in Women's Labor Force Participation during Child‐Rearing Years, Europe and the United States 1996–2016," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 46(4), pages 677-708, December.
    11. Fontenay, Sébastien & Tojerow, Ilan, 2020. "Work Disability after Motherhood and How Paternity Leave Can Help," IZA Discussion Papers 13756, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    12. Su, Qinghe & Azam, Mehtabul, 2023. "Does access to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) reduce the household burden of women? Evidence from India," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    13. Danielle Docka‐Filipek & Lindsey B. Stone, 2021. "Twice a “housewife”: On academic precarity, “hysterical” women, faculty mental health, and service as gendered care work for the “university family” in pandemic times," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(6), pages 2158-2179, November.
    14. Alejandra Ros Pilarz & Leah Awkward-Rich, 2024. "Mothers’ Work Schedules and Children’s Time with Parents," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 45(1), pages 117-136, March.
    15. Zhuofei Lu & Shuo Yan & Jeff Jones & Yucheng He & Qigen She, 2023. "From Housewives to Employees, the Mental Benefits of Employment across Women with Different Gender Role Attitudes and Parenthood Status," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-13, February.
    16. Su, Qinghe & Azam, Mehtabul, 2022. "Does Access to Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Reduce Women Household Burden? Evidence from India," IZA Discussion Papers 15842, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    17. Michael E. Martell & Leanne Roncolato, 2020. "Share of Household Earnings and Time Use of Women in Same-Sex and Different-Sex Households," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 46(3), pages 414-437, June.
    18. Xiaodong Sun & Kaisheng Lai & Hong Han & Chenyan Yang, 2023. "Could Children’s Gender Predict Their Parents’ Housework Behavior?," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(3), pages 21582440231, July.
    19. Deepak Malghan & Hema Swaminathan, 2021. "Intra-household Gender Inequality, Welfare, and Economic Development," LWS Working papers 34, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    20. Giselle Torres Pabon, 2021. "Uso del tiempo y práctica alimentaria. Análisis sociodemográfico para los hogares colombianos, 2012 y 2017," Ensayos de Economía 20141, Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Medellín.
    21. Aparna Soni & Taryn Morrissey, 2022. "The effects of Medicaid expansion on home production and childcare," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 88(3), pages 931-950, January.
    22. Senhu Wang & Zhuofei Lu, 2023. "Is Paid Inflexible Work Better than Unpaid Housework for Women’s Mental Health? The Moderating Role of Parenthood," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(1), pages 393-409, February.
    23. Marisa Bucheli & Andrea Vigorito, 2023. "Well-being, time use, and women's empowerment after couple separation: Longitudinal evidence for Uruguay," Documentos de Trabajo (working papers) 23-05, Instituto de Economía - IECON.

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