TIME SPENT ON PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES AND UNWAGED DOMESTIC WORK - IS IT DIFFERENT FOR MALE AND FEMALE PRIMARY-CARE PHYSICIANS WHO HAVE CHILDREN AT HOME

OBJECTIVE To examine how having children affects the hours spent by ma le and female family physicians on professional activities and on unwa ged domestic work. DESIGN Survey fielded between September 1993 and Fe bruary 1994. SETTING Ontario. PARTICIPANTS All Ontario-based physician s certificated by the College of Family Physicians of Canada between 1 989 and 1991 after completing a family medicine residency. MAIN OUTCOM E MEASURES Self-reported hours spent per week on professional activiti es and unwaged domestic work. RESULTS Response rate was 70%; men and w omen were equally likely to respond. About half (47.7%) had children a t home. Women with children at home spent fewer hours on professional activities (P < 0.001) than men with children, whose hours of professi onal activity were similar to hours of men without children. Both wome n and men with children rc ported spending more time on household main tenance than did those without children. Among physicians with childre n, although men spent time on child care (mean time 11.4 hours; SD 11) , women spent much more time on it (mean time 39.7 hours; SD 21; P< 0. 001). The women worked an average of 90.5 hours per week in profession al and unwaged activities; men averaged 68.6 hours. Childless physicia ns worked fewer hours: men 54.1, women 52.6. CONCLUSIONS Female physic ians with children at home spend more time on child care and household maintenance than their mate partners. These responsibilities reduce p rofessional work time:at least until all children are at school full t ime) and might deter women from active involvement in professional org anizations.