2026 update: this page uses the latest data available: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics American Time Use Survey results for 2025 (released June 25, 2026), with 2024 results for comparison, plus Pew Research Center trend data (1965–2016) and surveys from 2017 and 2026.
Men living with children under 18 spent an average of 0.99 hours (about 59 minutes) a day on hands-on childcare in 2025, compared with 1.74 hours (about 1 hour 44 minutes) for women, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In homes with a child under 6, men averaged 1.70 hours a day (about 1 hour 42 minutes) and women 2.82 hours (about 2 hours 49 minutes).These numbers come from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) 2025 results, in which a nationally representative sample of Americans walk an interviewer through everything they did the day before. “Hands-on” here means primary childcare: time when caring for a household child was the main thing a person was doing, such as feeding, bathing, playing, reading, helping with homework or driving kids around. Watching TV with your kid counts as leisure, not childcare, and making their breakfast counts as food prep, so these figures understate total time spent with kids.
One more thing to know before quoting them: BLS publishes these numbers for all men and women 18 and older who live with a child under 18, not for fathers only. Many of these men are dads, but BLS doesn’t break the group out by relationship to the child, and it also includes stepdads, grandfathers, older brothers and other adults in the household. The averages also count days when someone did no childcare at all. It’s the closest national, government measure of dads’ daily childcare time, but it isn’t a count of fathers alone.
Data breakdown: how much time dads spend on childcare per day
| Adults 18+ living with children… | Men (hours/day) | Women (hours/day) | Men as a share of women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 (all households with kids) | 0.99 (59 min) | 1.74 (1 hr 44 min) | 57% |
| Youngest child under 6 | 1.70 (1 hr 42 min) | 2.82 (2 hr 49 min) | 60% |
| Youngest child 6 to 17 | 0.53 (32 min) | 1.02 (1 hr 1 min) | 52% |
Source: BLS American Time Use Survey, Table 9, 2025 annual averages. Primary childcare of household children, averaged over all days of the week. Minutes and the last column are Fathercraft conversions of the published hours. “Men” and “women” are all adults 18+ living with a child of that age, not only parents.
On weekdays, men living with kids under 18 averaged 1.04 hours of primary childcare and women 1.88 hours. On weekends and holidays, the figures were 0.90 and 1.40 hours, so the gap between men and women is smaller on weekends (BLS Table 9).
What dads actually do during childcare time
Physical care, such as feeding, bathing and dressing, is the biggest single slice of childcare time for both men and women, and it has the widest gap in hours (0.32 vs. 0.65). Proportionally, the gap is widest for education-related care like homework help, where men spend about a quarter of the time women do. Among the bigger categories, play is where men come closest to women: 0.24 hours a day playing or doing hobbies with kids, compared with 0.29 hours for women.
| Activity (children under 18) | Men (hours/day) | Women (hours/day) |
|---|---|---|
| Physical care | 0.32 | 0.65 |
| Playing or doing hobbies with children | 0.24 | 0.29 |
| Travel related to childcare (drop-offs, pickups) | 0.16 | 0.22 |
| Education-related (homework, school meetings) | 0.04 | 0.16 |
| Looking after children | 0.05 | 0.09 |
| Attending children’s events | 0.05 | 0.06 |
| Talking to or with children | 0.04 | 0.06 |
| Reading to or with children | 0.02 | 0.05 |
| Other childcare | 0.08 | 0.17 |
| Total primary childcare | 0.99 | 1.74 |
Source: BLS ATUS Table 9, 2025 annual averages, adults 18+ living with a child under 18 (not only parents). BLS rounds each row separately, so rows add up to 1.00 and 1.75 rather than the published totals.
With a child under 6 at home, men spent 0.63 hours a day on physical care and 0.49 hours playing, compared with 1.25 and 0.64 hours for women.
Time “on duty”: kids in your care while doing other things
ATUS also measures secondary childcare: time when a child under 13 is in your care while you’re doing something else, like cooking, shopping or watching a game. In 2025, men living with a child under 13 averaged 4.27 hours a day of secondary childcare, compared with 5.74 hours for women. On weekends the gap nearly closes: 7.23 hours for men vs. 7.89 for women (BLS Table 10).
Do dads spend more time with their kids than they used to?
Yes, by a lot over the long run. In a Pew Research Center analysis of time-diary data, fathers reported spending an average of eight hours a week on childcare in 2016, about triple the time fathers provided in 1965. Mothers spent about 14 hours a week on childcare in 2016 (Pew Research Center, 2019). Pew’s figures describe fathers specifically and are weekly, so don’t compare them directly with the BLS daily averages above, which cover all men living with children.
Year to year, the BLS numbers move around. In 2024, men living with kids under 18 averaged 1.11 hours of primary childcare a day and women 1.79 hours; with a child under 6, men averaged 1.95 hours and women 2.96 (ATUS 2024 results). The 2025 figures are lower, but treat that with caution: the October–November 2025 federal shutdown wiped out about six weeks of ATUS interviews, and BLS says it can’t quantify how that affected 2025 estimates (BLS shutdown notice). One year of change in a survey this size isn’t a trend.
| Measure | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Men, children under 18 (hours/day) | 1.11 | 0.99 |
| Women, children under 18 (hours/day) | 1.79 | 1.74 |
| Men, youngest child under 6 (hours/day) | 1.95 | 1.70 |
| Women, youngest child under 6 (hours/day) | 2.96 | 2.82 |
Source: BLS ATUS Table 9, 2024 and 2025 annual averages. 2025 data collection was interrupted by the Oct. 1–Nov. 12, 2025 shutdown.
Do dads think they spend enough time with their kids?
Most don’t. In a 2017 Pew survey, 63% of fathers said they spend too little time with their kids, compared with 35% of mothers, and work obligations were the most common reason (Pew Research Center). In Pew’s March 2026 survey of working parents, 60% of full-time working parents said they spend too little time with their children, and 47% said work at least sometimes makes them miss their kids’ activities (Pew Research Center, 2026). Those 2026 figures are for moms and dads combined.
Frequently asked questions
How much time do dads spend with their kids per day?
Men living with children under 18 spent an average of 0.99 hours (about 59 minutes) a day on primary, hands-on childcare in 2025, compared with 1.74 hours for women, according to the BLS American Time Use Survey. BLS publishes this for all men living with children, not only fathers, and the average includes days with no childcare.
How much time do dads spend with young children under 6?
In households where the youngest child was under 6, men averaged 1.70 hours (about 1 hour 42 minutes) of primary childcare a day in 2025, compared with 2.82 hours for women (BLS ATUS 2025).
Do fathers spend more time with their children than in the past?
Yes. Pew Research Center found fathers spent an average of eight hours a week on childcare in 2016, about triple the time in 1965. Mothers spent about 14 hours a week in 2016.
What kind of childcare do dads do most?
Physical care (feeding, bathing, dressing) takes the most time, at 0.32 hours a day for men living with kids under 18 in 2025, followed by play at 0.24 hours. Play is where men come closest to women (0.29 hours).
Do dads feel they spend enough time with their kids?
No. In a 2017 Pew survey, 63% of fathers said they spend too little time with their children, compared with 35% of mothers, most often because of work. In Pew’s March 2026 survey, 60% of full-time working parents (moms and dads combined) said they spend too little time with their kids.
Related: Paternity leave statistics · How many fathers are stay-at-home dads? · How many fathers are in the U.S.?
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — American Time Use Survey — 2025 Results (USDL-26-1022, June 25, 2026), Table 9 (primary childcare) and Table 10 (secondary childcare)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — American Time Use Survey — 2024 Results (USDL-25-1060, June 26, 2025) — 2024 comparison figures
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Notice on the October–November 2025 shutdown and ATUS data
- Pew Research Center — 8 facts about American dads (June 2019) — Fathers’ weekly childcare time, 1965 vs. 2016; 2017 survey on time with kids
- Pew Research Center — For Working Parents, the Boundary Between Work and Family Is Often Blurred (June 16, 2026) — Survey of 2,242 working parents, March 2–15, 2026
