MILWAUKEE — Yes, you read that correctly. According to this study, married mothers do more work than single mothers.
According to a UWM study, "Marital Status and Mothers' Time Use," single mothers and partnered mothers spend roughly the same amount of time looking after their children.
However, it's married mothers who are more likely to sacrifice their own leisure time and sleep to do housework as compared with single and divorced mothers.
“The idea that a mother does more housework when she has a partner or spouse may sound counter-intuitive, but it’s the reality in most American households,” said demographer Linda Jacobsen, vice president of U.S. programs at Population Reference Bureau.
What Jacobsen doesn't understand is "why mothers feel compelled to do more housework when there’s a man in the house.”
On the flip side, with more and more fathers staying home to watch the kids, the study found that they are less inclined to cook and clean the home as frequently.
“When the at-home parent is the mother, there’s a clear expectation that she’ll be in charge of the family’s domestic life,” said Noelle Chesley, a UWM associate professor of sociology.
“That’s not necessarily the case when the at-home parent is the father.”
