Modern parents spend far more time with their kids than those in the 1960s, researchers have found.
A new study says the time mothers spend with their kids has doubled since the 1960s , while for fathers it has quadrupled.
Researchers also discovered that the better educated people are, the more time they spend with their offspring.
Fathers' time with children nearly
quadrupled since 1965 dads spent a daily average of just 16 minutes with
their kids, while today's fathers spend about 59 minutes a day caring
for them. Pictured, Mad Men, with Jon Hamm and Kiernan Shipka, which was
set in the 1960s.
'According
to economic theory, higher wages should discourage well-educated
parents from foregoing work to spend extra time with youngsters,'
said study co-author Judith Treas, UCI Chancellor's Professor of
sociology.
'Also, they have the money to pay others to care for their children.'
Treas
and co-author Giulia M. Dotti Sani, a postdoctoral fellow at Collegio
Carlo Alberto in Turin, Italy, found that between 1965 and 2012, all but
one of 11 Western nations showed an increase in the amount of time both
parents spent with their kids.
The study was published online in the August issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family.
In
1965, mothers spent a daily average of 54 minutes on child care
activities, while moms in 2012 averaged almost twice that at 104 minutes
per day.
Fathers'
time with children nearly quadrupled – 1965 dads spent a daily average
of just 16 minutes with their kids, while today's fathers spend about 59
minutes a day caring for them.
These numbers include parents from all education levels.
A new University of California, Irvine
study says the time mothers spend with their kids has doubled since the
1960s , while for fathers it has quadrupled - apart from the French.
When
the researchers broke out the 2012 data into two categories – parents
with a college education versus parents without – they found quite a
difference.
College-educated
moms spent an estimated 123 minutes daily on child care, compared with
94 minutes spent by less educated mothers.
Fathers with a college degree spent about 74 minutes a day with their kids, while less educated dads averaged 50 minutes.
HOW THEY DID IT
Study
findings were based on the Multinational Time Use Study Harmonized
Simple Files, which focused on parents between the ages of 18 and 65
living in households with at least one child under the age of 13.
From
1965 to 2012, the 122,271 parents (68,532 mothers, 53,739 fathers) in
Canada, the U.K, the U.S., Denmark, Norway, France, Germany, the
Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Slovenia were asked to keep a diary of all
their daily activities.
Researchers
analyzed differences by randomly selecting one day from each diary and
tabulating the amount of time recorded for both interactive and routine
child care activities.
'Time
spent with children involved everything from preparing their meals and
snacks to feeding and bathing them, changing diapers and clothes,
putting them to bed, getting up in the middle of the night, unpaid
babysitting, providing medical care, reading and playing with them, as
well as supervising and helping with homework,' Treas said.
France was the only country that showed a decrease in mothers' child care time.
The
decline was not as steep for college-educated moms as it was for less
educated French mothers, while for dads, both education levels saw an
increase in parenting time.
According
to Treas, the study results – aside from France – are in line with an
'intensive parenting' ideology that has become a cultural child rearing
trend.
'The
time parents spend with children is regarded as critical for positive
cognitive, behavioral and academic outcomes,' she said.
'Contemporary
fathers – having more egalitarian gender views – want to be more
involved in their children's lives than their own dads were.
'These
beliefs have taken hold among the best-educated residents of Western
countries and are also diffusing to their counterparts who have less
schooling.'
As for the difference in France, Treas said, 'No one is certain why the French are exceptional.
'Public spending on child care is fairly high in France, lightening parental responsibilities.
Some
experts speculate that the French simply believe children can
accommodate successfully without parents making big changes to their
lifestyles.'
Parents may
think they’re being good role models for their kids when it comes to the amount
of time they spend on electronic devices.
However, a recent
study by an advocacy group has found that parents spend more than nine hours a
day on “screen media” like tablets and smart phones.
The study by
Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization focused on children’s use of
media, surveyed 1,786 parents in the United States, over a one-year period, who
had children aged 8 to 18.
About 78
percent of the parents surveyed believe they are being good role models for
their children, despite spending more than 7 hours a day on personal screen
media themselves.
“These findings are fascinating
because parents are using media for entertainment just as much as their kids,
yet they express concerns about their kids’ media use,” said James P. Steyer,
founder and chief executive officer of Common Sense Media, in a press release. “Media can add a lot of value
to relationships, education, and development, and parents clearly see the
benefits, but if they are concerned about too much media in their kids’ lives,
it might be time to reassess their own behavior so that they can truly set the
example they want for their kids.”
Read more: Violent video games and
children »
Still
concerned about the kids
Although
they might be prolific users of screen media, parents still worry about the
impact such technologies are having on their children.
Dr. Jenny
Radesky, assistant professor of pediatrics at the
University of Michigan C. S. Mott Children's Hospital, says such concerns are valid.
“Excessive digital media use is linked to sleep problems,
obesity, academic delays, and language delays in young children; and
inappropriate or violent media content is associated with executive functioning
deficits and behavioral issues,” Radesky told Healthline.
The study
found 34 percent of parents were concerned about the impact screen media was
having on their children’s sleeping patterns. Dr. Radesky says using electronic
devices too close to bedtime can make it harder for children (and adults) to
sleep.
“The blue
light emitted from screens can inhibit our endogenous melatonin, the brain
hormone which helps establish sleep rhythms, and the exciting content from TV,
videos, or social media can keep our brains aroused. Many studies show
associations between evening digital media use and problems falling asleep,”
she said.
Read more: Most 2-year-olds use mobile
devices »
Recommendations
for parents
The American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has developed recommendations for children’s media use.
The
guidelines suggest that children younger than 18 months should avoid screen
media other than video chatting.
Children
aged 2 to 5 should be limited to one hour of screen time a day.
Children over
6 years of age should have consistent limits placed on the amount of screen media
they use.
The AAP
suggests that parents should ensure screen media use never takes the places of
“adequate sleep, physical activity, and other behaviors essential to health.”
Read more: Screen time hurts more than
kids’ eyes »
Addicted to
media
The
overwhelming majority of parents surveyed have positive views of the role of
technology in their child’s development, education, and learning outcomes, but
more than half are concerned their children will become addicted to technology.
Radesky says
it is possible for children to develop problematic media use habits. Parents
should take note if a child’s media use is impacting other areas of their life.
“I would
worry if children are not interested in other nonscreen activities, want to
take media everywhere they go, are starting to have functional problems (e.g.,
trouble socializing, behavior issues, refusing to do homework) related to their
excessive screen use, and need media to calm themselves down, rather than using
other approaches,” she said.
Radesky
suggests families should make a plan for media use within the home, specifying
what type and how much screen time is acceptable.
She suggests
using technology together as a family, using electronic devices to be creative
as well as to consume, and to never use technology as a way to calm a child down.
“Children are great mimics, which is
why it is so important that parents introduce real boundaries and balance early
on,” said Steyer. “Media will always be a part of life, and every family is
different, but in general, we recommend that parents set rules and clear plans
so that kids understand what is appropriate.”
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