Active Fathers Are Exacerbating the Two-Parent Privilege

Fathers today are doing more than ever. Not only are they taking on more housework—doing laundry, cooking, and cleaning—but they are more involved with child care as well. They help with homework and serve as chauffeurs, coaches, and role models. Fathers with young kids spend, on average, nearly two hours a day caring for their kids. The division of domestic labor does still tilt inequitably towards women—mothers spend nearly an hour more on average on child care—yet there is no question the gender gap in parenting responsibilities has shrunk. But perhaps one of the most critical changes is that dads have become more emotionally involved and connected to their kids.