NEW YORK (AP) — Most mothers and fathers who work full-time say they sometimes parent while at work and vice versa. Most are upset to miss out on events with their kids, and many don’t have enough time to exercise. But moms and dads seem to have different perceptions on who does most of the chores, and mothers were more likely than fathers to say that having children made it harder to advance at work. Those are some of the findings about full-time working parents from a newly released Pew Research Center study, which surveyed 2,242 working parents between March 2-15. Here’s a look what full-time working parents want, by the numbers:
Households where both the mother and father work full time: 52% That’s according to a Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data looking at the work arrangements of mothers and fathers with children under 18 who are married or live together. A decade ago, 46% of such families had two full-time working parents. In 1975, it was just 31%.The increase has been driven largely by mothers who have bachelor’s or postgraduate degrees. It has occurred during a period when women have outpaced men in obtaining college educations.In families where mothers and fathers live together, about 56% of moms with bachelor degrees and 69% of mothers with postgraduate degrees worked full time in 2025. That’s an increase from 50% and 59% in 2000, respectively.
