Mothers’ and Fathers’ Time Spent with Children in the U.S.: Variations by Race/Ethnicity Within Income from 2003 to 2013

Abstract

Using data from the American Time Use Survey, we examine the empirically underexplored ways in which racial and ethnic identity shapes parental time use. Racial/ethnic differences emerge within income groups in terms of trends and trade-offs in time spent with children versus time spent in paid work and other activities. For fathers, trade-offs in paid work and time spent with children are qualitatively similar across income by race/ethnicity. However, our estimates suggest that low-income Hispanic fathers spent approximately 10 minutes less with their children for every hour in time spent in paid work, a substantively starker trade-off than that made by low income non-Hispanic fathers. For mothers, the lowest-income white mothers show the largest reductions in time spent with children for every hour spent in paid work. Increased time in paid work decreases the time spent on other (non-sleep) activities in a qualitatively similar manner for mothers and fathers by racial/ethnic group, across and within income groups.