Girls Have No Satisfaction

Women enjoy free time less than men. And it’s getting worse

Women enjoy free time less than men. And it’s getting worse. When men have free time, they feel less rushed than when their schedules are packed. Women relieved of work, however, don’t feel the same. An Ohio State University study suggests mothers in particular feel the pressures of children and housework. The study was based on two surveys, one in the mid-1970s involving 708 people and another in 1998 with 1,151 participants. Free time was measured as time not spent at paid work, household chores, child care, or personal tasks such as eating, grooming and sleeping. Participants were asked how often they felt rushed during a typical day—never, sometimes or always. Workload increased for women between 1975 and 1998, especially in comparison to men. In 1975, women and men had similar amounts of free time, but by 1998, a 30-minute per day gender gap had opened. The odds of feeling rushed were more than twice as high for married women with children than for single, childless women. But married men with kids didn’t feel more rushed than single, childless men.

About The Author

arindam