Childcare: shared care and well-being outcomes for families
Research into the link between the time spent on childcare by mothers and fathers in two-parent households and different well-being outcomes.
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This research was commissioned under the previous government and before the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result the content may not reflect current government policy or relate to forthcoming policy announcements. The views expressed in this report are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of the government.
This report analyses the relationship between the time spent on childcare by mothers and fathers in two-parent households and a series of well-being outcomes.
The report distinguishes between:
- care as either a primary (main activity) or secondary activity (alongside another primary activity such as paid work)
- ‘solo’ care (conducted without the presence of the other parent) or ‘joint’ care (conducted with another parent present)
- routine care (such as feeding, cleaning, transporting) or enriched care (such as playing, reading, studying with child)
The report finds evidence that an increased share of childcare provided by fathers is linked to a number of positive well-being outcomes – mainly for mothers, but also for fathers themselves. It also finds some evidence of a positive effect on well-being of children aged 8 to 14 years of time spent with their parents.