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From 2003 to 2017, on an average day, the share of men doing food preparation and cleanup increased from 35 percent to 46 percent. Over the same period, the share for women also increased, from 66 percent in 2003 to 69 percent in 2017.
| Activity | 2003 | 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Men | Women | Total | Men | Women | |
|
Housework |
37.5% | 19.4% | 54.4% | 34.4% | 18.6% | 49.3% |
|
Food preparation and cleanup |
50.8 | 34.7 | 65.9 | 57.6 | 45.7 | 68.9 |
|
Lawn and garden care |
10.2 | 11.7 | 8.7 | 9.7 | 11.4 | 8.0 |
|
Household management |
15.6 | 12.9 | 18.1 | 18.7 | 15.7 | 21.6 |
|
Consumer goods purchases |
41.5 | 37.6 | 45.1 | 40.2 | 35.5 | 44.6 |
|
Purchasing professional and personal care services |
9.4 | 7.2 | 11.5 | 7.3 | 5.6 | 8.8 |
|
Caring for and helping household children under 18 |
22.0 | 16.1 | 27.5 | 20.1 | 15.6 | 24.3 |
|
Caring for and helping nonhousehold adults |
10.5 | 10.0 | 11.0 | 7.2 | 6.3 | 8.1 |
|
Working |
44.1 | 51.3 | 37.3 | 42.0 | 48.3 | 36.1 |
|
Attending class |
5.6 | 5.2 | 5.9 | 5.2 | 5.5 | 4.9 |
|
Religious and spiritual activities |
8.1 | 6.4 | 9.6 | 9.3 | 6.8 | 11.7 |
|
Volunteering (organizational and civic activities) |
6.4 | 5.5 | 7.2 | 6.1 | 4.5 | 7.6 |
|
Socializing and communicating |
40.2 | 36.1 | 44.1 | 35.7 | 33.3 | 37.9 |
|
Watching TV |
78.8 | 80.1 | 77.5 | 77.7 | 78.7 | 76.7 |
|
Participating in sports, exercise, and recreation |
17.3 | 18.9 | 15.7 | 19.0 | 20.2 | 17.8 |
|
Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail |
25.6 | 19.6 | 31.2 | 19.7 | 15.1 | 24.0 |
In 2017, on an average day, 19 percent of men did housework such as cleaning or laundry. The same percentage of men did housework in 2003. In 2017, forty-nine percent of women did housework. This compared with 54 percent of women in 2003. In 2017, men (11 percent) were slightly more likely to engage in lawn and garden care than were women (8 percent).
From 2003 to 2017, the share of men and women engaged in telephone calls, mail, and e-mail decreased, from 20 percent to 15 percent for men and from 31 percent to 24 percent for women.
These data are from the American Time Use Survey. Time use data begin in 2003. For more information, see "American Time Use Survey — 2017 Results." We also have more charts on how Americans spend their time.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, 46 percent of men did food preparation or cleanup on average day in 2017, up from 35 percent in 2003 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2018/46-percent-of-men-did-food-preparation-or-cleanup-on-average-day-in-2017-up-from-35-percent-in-2003.htm (visited October 30, 2024).