AN EXAMINATION OF PARENT-CHILD SHARED TIME

Data from time diaries kept by parents in two-parent, two-child famili es in four states in 1977 and 1978 were used to examine time shared by parents and children, as well as parent solitary rimes, in a number o f household activities. The analysis focuses on how the mother's emplo yment time affects shared parent-child time and whether the rime was s ex-typed. In addition, a weak rest for whether parent-child shared tim e stimulates children's human capital development;was devised and the hypothesis confirmed. Mothers who spent more time in market work share d less traditionally defined child-care time, but only with the older child. In contrast, as a mother's time in market work increased, paren t-child shared housework and shared leisure time increased, Household activities shared by the parent and the child were sex-typed. Mothers tended to share more time with daughters in meal preparation and famil y-care activities, and fathers tended to share more time with their so ns in activities involving the home, yard, car and pet maintenance and in shopping activities.