For the first time, in most U.S. households, mom and dad are both working in more than half of all households.
A Pew Research Center report found that both parents are working full time jobs in 52 percent of households with different-sexed couples with children under 18.
A decade ago, the same analysis found that figure was only 46 percent. In 1975, the percentage was only 31 percent.
The study found that, despite entering the workforce, moms still tend to take on more of the family duties. 62 percent of full-time working moms said that they had trouble finding balance between work and family, while 47 percent of dads reported having the same issue.
Moms were said to take on more parenting 52 percent of the time, while 10 percent said that dad took on more parenting tasks and about 39 percent said that tasks were divided fairly evenly between parents.
As part of the study, Pew asked families about why they made their decisions and the impact of those decisions on the family's finances, the wellbeing of children, their relationships, and their ability to advance in their careers.
Families in which both parents worked generally said that it favored their family financially. In families where only one parent worked they tended to view the arrangement as being good for the kids.
"When it comes to how their work arrangement impacts their relationship with their spouse or partner, more parents in each group report positive impacts than negative ones," the report stated. "Still, parents in families where the dad works full time and mom works part time or isn't employed are more likely to have positive views."
The report found that higher education levels tend to impact family work dynamics.
According to the report, 70 percent of women with a postgraduate degree are in families in which both parents. That percentage drops to about 56 percent with women with bachelor's degree. By comparison, only 43 percent of couples in which a woman has some college or less have both parents working full time.
"While this analysis focuses on couples, it is important to acknowledge that not all working parents are partnered: 14% of working parents are neither married nor living with a partner, as of 2025," the report stated.
