Table 10. Time spent providing secondary childcare for household children under 13 by sex of adult (1) and age of youngest child by day of week, average for the combined years 2004-08
Table 10. Time spent providing secondary childcare for household children under 13 by sex of adult (1) and age of youngest child by
day of week, average for the combined years 2004-08
Average hours per day spent caring for household children (3)
Childcare activities (2) Total Weekdays Weekends and holidays (4)
Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women
Persons in households with children under 13, total................ 5.31 4.15 6.28 4.34 3.00 5.45 7.55 6.76 8.22
Caring for household children as a secondary activity in
conjunction with:
Personal care activities...................................... .28 .19 .35 .25 .17 .31 .34 .24 .43
Household activities.......................................... 1.26 .71 1.72 1.07 .48 1.55 1.70 1.23 2.10
Purchasing goods and services................................. .40 .26 .51 .31 .15 .43 .60 .49 .70
Working and work-related activities........................... .20 .17 .22 .22 .17 .26 .15 .17 .13
Eating and drinking........................................... .65 .57 .72 .54 .44 .62 .92 .87 .96
Leisure and sports............................................ 2.11 1.96 2.23 1.64 1.40 1.84 3.19 3.23 3.15
Other activities.............................................. .42 .29 .52 .32 .18 .43 .65 .54 .74
Persons in households with youngest child 6 to 12, total...... 4.87 3.93 5.64 3.76 2.73 4.62 7.44 6.69 8.09
Caring for household children as a secondary activity in
conjunction with:
Personal care activities.................................... .26 .18 .33 .23 .16 .28 .34 .23 .44
Household activities........................................ 1.14 .71 1.49 .88 .44 1.23 1.75 1.34 2.11
Purchasing goods and services............................... .30 .18 .40 .22 .10 .32 .50 .38 .60
Working and work-related activities......................... .21 .17 .23 .22 .16 .27 .17 .19 .15
Eating and drinking......................................... .57 .51 .61 .45 .38 .51 .84 .81 .86
Leisure and sports.......................................... 1.99 1.87 2.10 1.50 1.29 1.66 3.15 3.17 3.13
Other activities............................................ .40 .30 .49 .28 .19 .35 .70 .57 .80
Persons in households with youngest child under 6, total...... 5.62 4.30 6.72 4.74 3.19 6.04 7.62 6.81 8.30
Caring for household children as a secondary activity in
conjunction with:
Personal care activities.................................... .29 .19 .36 .26 .17 .34 .34 .24 .43
Household activities........................................ 1.34 .70 1.87 1.20 .51 1.77 1.67 1.15 2.10
Purchasing goods and services............................... .46 .31 .59 .37 .19 .52 .67 .57 .76
Working and work-related activities......................... .20 .17 .22 .22 .17 .26 .14 .16 .12
Eating and drinking......................................... .71 .62 .79 .60 .49 .69 .98 .92 1.02
Leisure and sports.......................................... 2.19 2.02 2.33 1.74 1.48 1.97 3.21 3.26 3.17
Other activities............................................ .43 .29 .55 .35 .18 .48 .62 .52 .70
1 Persons 18 years and over living in households with children under 13, whether or not they provided childcare.
2 All major activity categories include related travel time. See Technical Note for activity category definitions.
3 Secondary childcare time is defined as time one has a child under 13 "in his or her care" while doing something else as a main
activity; information on secondary childcare is not collected for children over 12 years. Estimates include a small amount of care
provided to own, nonhousehold children.
4 Holidays are New Year's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Data were
not collected about Thanksgiving Day in 2004-05; New Year's Day in 2007; and Christmas Day in 2008.
Last Modified Date: June 24, 2009
