Most Married Parents Now Work Full Time

Mom and dad holding down full-time jobs is no longer the exception—it's now the norm. A new Pew Research Center analysis finds that in 2023, 52% of different-sex couples with minor children had both parents working full time, the highest share on record and up sharply from 1975, notes Axios. The shift tracks with more college-educated women entering the labor force and families grappling with higher living costs. Traditional setups are fading: households with a full-time working father and a non-employed mother dropped from 42% in 1975 to 23% last year. The trend varies by race, ethnicity, and education, with dual full-time work especially common among mothers with postgraduate degrees. Most parents in these two full-time-job homes say it's a financial plus, even as some still view a stay-at-home mom as better for kids. More:

• Work-parenting balance: About 52% of full-time working parents say their job makes parenting harder. Conversely, 45% say having kids makes it harder to get ahead at work. "I'm supposed to work like I don't have kids and supposed to parent like I don't have a job," says one mom.
• Division of duties: Working moms take on more on the home front and 62% of them work-parenting balance is difficult, while 47% of dads say the same. In different-sex couples, 52% say the mom shoulders more parenting, while 10% say the same about dads, and 39% say it's an even split.

• Remote work: Most parents say the option of working remotely is extremely or very helpful. But only 24% say they have that option. Those who work from home frequently are no more likely than those who work from home less to say balancing their job and family life is easy.
• Childcare: Parents of all income levels say the biggest roadblock in finding childcare is cost. Lower- and middle-income parents are more likely to rely on family, friends, or neighbors, while most higher-income parents pay for care, as in a daycare or preschool.