{"id":316953,"date":"2026-06-16T09:54:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T13:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?p=316953"},"modified":"2026-07-09T15:24:32","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T19:24:32","slug":"how-family-work-arrangements-have-changed-over-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2026\/06\/16\/how-family-work-arrangements-have-changed-over-time\/","title":{"rendered":"How family work arrangements have changed over time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
About this research<\/summary>\n

This Pew Research Center report looks at the experiences of working parents in the United States, including how they navigate the demands of work and family life, how they divide responsibilities at home, and how workplace benefits and arrangements shape their experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did we do this?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pew Research Center does research to help the public, the media and decision-makers understand important topics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This research is part of Pew Research Center\u2019s ongoing effort to understand how Americans navigate work<\/a> and family life<\/a> and the changing demands placed on parents<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did we do this?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report is based primarily on a Pew Research Center survey of 2,242 U.S. working parents conducted March 2-15, 2026. Everyone who took part is a member of the Center\u2019s American Trends Panel<\/a>. The survey represents the views of U.S. working parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the survey questions<\/a> used for this report, the detailed responses<\/a> and the survey methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to survey data, the report also includes analysis of parents in the labor force using data from the U.S. Census Bureau\u2019s Current Population Survey.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

The work arrangements of moms and dads who are married or living together have changed considerably in recent decades. As of 2025, just over half (52%) of different-sex couples with children under 18 consist of two full-time working parents. This is up from 46% a decade ago and 31% in 1975, according to Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Chart<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The share of couples where the dad works full time and the mom is not employed has dropped from 42% in 1975 to 23% in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To understand how parents see the impact of these different work arrangements, we asked working parents how their setup has affected:<\/p>\n\n\n\n