Reassessing Parents' Leisure Quality With Direct Measures of Well‐Being: Do Children Detract From Parents' Down Time?

Abstract

Objective The objective if this study was to directly assess the contamination and fragmentation of parents' leisure quality with direct measures of experienced well‐being. Background Parents report less leisure than those without children, and the nature of their leisure differs in ways that are assumed to reflect lower quality—contaminated by the presence of children or fragmented by care work or other demands. Previous research on this question has not been able to assess leisure quality directly. Method Using the 2010, 2012, and 2013 American Time Use Survey's Well‐Being Module (N = 5,433 parents; N = 7,066 activities) and random intercept models to account for multilevel data, the authors investigated mothers' and fathers' reports of well‐being across multiple dimensions in leisure activities and directly assessed their experiences in leisure activities (a) with children present or (b) interrupted by care work or other demands. Results Contrary to expectations from prior work, there was no evidence that leisure was of lower quality with children, and leisure interruptions had little bearing on parents' well‐being. Well‐being was especially high in “family time” with both children and other adults. Conclusion Leisure time with children, considered of lower quality in prior accounts, was not experienced more negatively by parents. These findings suggest a reconsideration of how we think about and measure the quality of leisure time.

“Let’s Not Pretend It’s Fun”: How COVID-19-Related School and Childcare Closures are Damaging Mothers’ Well-Being

“…First, these findings clarify our understanding of the consequences of parents' time with children. Prior research finds that "family time" is beneficial for parents (Flood et al 2020;Musick et al 2016;Offer 2014) and that most parents would prefer more time with their children (Meier et al 2016;Milkie et al 2004Milkie et al , 2019). As we see here, however, and consistent with research on the impact of parenthood on parents' mental health (Glass et al 2016;Nomaguchi and Milkie 2003), substantial, unanticipated increases in parenting time can, at least for some mothers, be detrimental to well-being.…”

“…Given prior research on the benefits of "family time," we might anticipate that pandemicrelated increases in parenting responsibilities will positively influence mothers' well-being. For parents, spending time with children is generally an enjoyable activity associated with high levels of well-being (Flood et al 2020;Meier et al 2016;Musick et al 2016;Nelson et al 2013;Offer 2014). As a result, many parents (including roughly half of employed parents) want to spend more time with their children (Milkie et al 2004(Milkie et al , 2019.…”

“…As the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the U.S., schools and childcare centers abruptly closed, forcing many parents to spend more time caring for their children at home (Carlson, Petts, and Pepin 2020;Collins et al 2020;Krentz et al 2020;Landivar et al 2020). Given prior research on the benefits of "family time" (Flood, Meier, and Musick 2020;Meier et al 2016;Milkie et al 2004;Milkie, Nomaguchi, and Schieman 2019;Musick, Meier, and Flood 2016;Offer 2014), we might anticipate that pandemic-related increases in parents' time with children would improve parents' well-being. That said, and given the stress of balancing paid work and parenting in a country with weak family support policies (Christopher 2012;Collins 2019;Damaske 2011;Dow 2019;Gerson 1985;Glass, Simon, and Andersson 2016;Nomaguchi and Milkie 2003) there is reason to suspect that some parents may experience substantial, unanticipated increases in their time with children as detrimental to their well-being.…”

Gender Differences in Telecommuting and Implications for Inequality at Home and Work

“…Fragmentation is the number of separate work activities across diary day and captures the extent to which work is divided into separate spells. It is commonly used to measure activity quality in time use studies (Flood, Meier, & Musick, 2019). The presence of children while working is a summary of all minutes respondents' children were present during work activities, based on the activity-level "who with" question.…”

Beyond childcare: Changes in the amount and types of parent‐child time over three decades

“…A narrow focus on childcare may also miss parents’ time with children in leisure activities or mealtimes (Bowen et al., 2014; Craig et al., 2014; Negraia et al., 2018) as well as shared family time together (Offer, 2013; Shaw & Dawson, 2001). Parent‐child time in activities beyond childcare is salient for parents' and children's subjective well‐being (Flood et al., 2020; Milkie et al., 2021; Musick et al., 2016; Negraia & Augustine, 2020; Snyder, 2007). Thus, examining the total time parents report spending with children expands our understanding of parent‐child time as well as its implications for child development, family dynamics, and well‐being.…”