Time Allocation of Married Mothers and Fathers in Hard Times: The 2007-09 US Recession

Using American Time Use Survey (ATUS) data for 2003-10, this study examines whether the 2007-09 recession contributed to gender equality in married mothers' and fathers' paid and unpaid work hours. Trend analysis shows that the recession narrowed the disparity in both paid and unpaid work hours, as mothers substituted paid work for unpaid work and fathers' paid work hours declined. If the jobless recovery after June 2009 is included in the recessionary period, hardship in the labor market for fathers brought greater gender equality only in paid work. Relative to mothers and in an absolute sense, fathers' paid work hours and total workload declined and their personal care and leisure time increased. These findings suggest an alternative path for moving toward equality in workloads that entails gender-equitable job creation, living wage, and work-life balance policies.