Parenting in America: By the numbers

An ambitious study of 32 families in California has broken down how working parents and kids spend their time, offering an unprecedented look at the "dual-earner, multiple-child, middle-class American household." University of California, Los Angeles researchers videotaped the private lives of the participating families — cutting across a wide range of demographics — to get a deeper understanding of the inner workings of two-income families. Here, a look at some of the data from the still-unpublished study, as reported by The New York Times:

27

Percentage of their time mothers spend doing housework

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18

Percentage of their time fathers spend doing housework

3

Percentage of their time kids spend doing housework

34

Percentage of their time mothers spend with their children

25

Percentage of their time fathers spend with their children

11

Percentage of their time mothers give up to "leisure" — everything from TV-watching to occasional breathers

23

Percentage of their time fathers give up to "leisure"

10

Percentage of their time husbands and wives are together alone in the house

14

Percentage of their time families spend gathered in the same room