New Analysis Reveals How The Experience Of Being A Mom In The United States Has Changed Over The Past Few Decades
Some things about parenthood will never change. Even as cultural norms shift and societal advancements are made, mothers and fathers around the globe will continue to share one thing in common: the love they hold for their children.
However, over the past few decades, the experience of becoming a mom has shifted within the United States.
So, Pew Research Center conducted a study analyzing trends in motherhood and sentiments among moms.
The analysis relied on government data drawn from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey, and the Census Bureau.
The findings revealed that an increasing number of women are attending college, delaying motherhood, and remaining in the workforce following the birth of their children. Yet, moms are still taking on more caregiving responsibilities than fathers.
Trends In U.S. Motherhood
Nowadays, women are having their firstborn at an older age. This trend has steadily increased over the last decade, with the average woman giving birth for the first time at 27.3 years old in 2021. Back in 2011, the average mother was 25.6 years old when having their first child.
Despite this trend existing across ethnic and racial groups, however, there were some differences.
On average, White and Asian mothers are on the older side– welcoming their first child at 28.1 and 31.2 years old, respectively. Black and Hispanic moms are, on average, 25.5 years old during their first birth; meanwhile, first-time mothers who are American Indian or Alaska Native are the youngest, with an average age of 23.9.
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While age has increased, however, the number of kids that women in the United States birth over their lifetime has decreased.
During the late 1970s, women reaching the end of their childbearing period– classified as between ages 40 and 44– had an average of over three children. But, in 2020, women had an average of two children.
It was also found that women with less education have, on average, more children; meanwhile, women with further education bear fewer children.
From 1976 to 2022, women between the ages of 40 and 44 who held a Bachelor’s degree had 1.75 children on average. At the same time, women who did not hold a high school diploma have an average of 2.99 children.
The analysis also revealed that moms spend more time with their kids than dads– a trend that is especially true during children’s younger years.
Data drawn from the 2021 American Time Use Survey showed that mothers with kids under the age of 6 spent about 7.5 hours on childcare each day. Dads, on the other hand, reported 5.3 hours of daily childcare.
This trend continued as children aged, as well. Moms with kids between the ages of 6 and 12 still reported spending 5.7 hours per day on childcare each day; meanwhile, dads reported spending 4.2 hours.
The difference in time that moms and dads spend on childcare corresponded with another finding: moms reported taking on more childcare responsibilities in their opposite-gender relationship. Yet, dads were more likely to claim that the childcare responsibilities were divided up evenly.
In fact, a majority of mothers (78%) who are married or live with their partner claimed to do more in terms of managing the schedules and activities of their children under the age of 18.
Approximately 58% of mothers also reported providing more emotional support or comfort to their children than their partners, and 65% of moms with school-age children reported helping out more with homework and other school assignments.
Additionally, it was found that moms are more likely to claim that becoming a parent was harder than they expected.
During a fall 2022 survey, about 66% of moms said parenthood was either a lot or somewhat more difficult than expected. This is compared to 58% of fathers who held this sentiment.
Nonetheless, most moms shared positive feelings surrounding motherhood. In fact, 83% of mothers reported finding parenthood enjoyable. About 80% of moms also said that being a parent was rewarding either most or all of the time.
Finally, a majority of mothers– about 88%– also claimed that being a parent was either the most or one of the most important part of their personal identity.
To read the analysis’ complete findings, visit the link here.
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