The days of one parent staying home with the kids are rapidly changing for a variety of reasons. Wages and the cost of living have not increased at the same levels leading to both parents needing full-time jobs to survive financially. The number of mothers without a job has decreased immensely with some hoping to work full-time while others work part-time. The households that have both parents working are doing better financially on average than those that do not have two parents working full-time. The introduction of remote and freelance work has made it possible for many families to have both parents working full-time. With the right scheduling, those working from home can even save vast amounts on childcare which is extremely expensive.

Chores Are More Evenly Distributed With Both Parents Working

The chores around the house are more evenly distributed among the parents and children than in households where one parent does not work at all. When it comes to the children, many have been quoted as saying this falls on the mother’s shoulders. The role of the father in many households can be that of the chores and certain aspects of raising the children. Over 3 out of 5 fathers are the primary person that enforces discipline in the household at 61 percent. Playing/activities with the kids are also done by fathers the majority of the time in these hard-working households. The percentages are close to the studies done with it nearly being impossible to split everything exactly when dividing the workload.

Outlook On Workload Division

According to a Pew Research article, the division of labor when it comes to children’s activities and schedules are polled at very different levels when genders are compared. This is going to happen as both genders want to feel like they do a bulk of the work in regards to chores or the children. The workload professionally also might contribute to the outlook on the division of the workload. One parent is usually far more career-oriented than the other. Parents do think that work-life balance is difficult to achieve and maintain due to hectic schedules. Parents with children in various activities/clubs/sports can feel like they spend a massive amount of their free time driving their kids to these.

Working Parents Do Not Feel It Stunts Career Growth

The trajectory of a person’s career has far more to do with the quality of work and opportunity at a company than being a working parent. A large percentage of working parents do not think that their being a parent has stunted career growth at all. The one aspect that can lead to stagnant career growth is being offered a superior job in another city. Relocation is far easier when single without children when compared to uprooting a family for an opportunity that might not work out.

Households with both parents working are going to need to be proactive about dividing workload equally. Actively trying to attain this balance can make a huge difference. Another huge help will come when the children become teenagers and can share in on the workload. A teenager taking their siblings to clubs or school can allot more free time to working parents which is worth its weight in gold.