美国上班族妈妈每天只花90分钟和孩子在一起 - By Daily Mail Reporter,12-5-2012

Working mothers in the U.S. spend just an hour-and-a-half with their children each day - including weekends.

It means they could be spending even less time with their children during the week, snatching only a few minutes after a long day at work.

But they still fit in more time than many of their counterparts in other developed countries, a study has found.

Balancing act: Working mothers in the U.S. only manage to fit in 90 minutes with their children every day - but it's still more than many other developed countries

And child psychologists say mothers should worry more about the quality of the time they spend with their children rather than anxiously counting the minutes.

According to the report, American working mothers spend one hour and 34 minutes on 'primary' childcare each day, including feeding their children, helping them with homework and changing diapers.

That's an hour less than stay-at-home mothers, who fit in more than two-and-half hours with their youngsters every day.

They still spend far more time on childcare than their counterparts in Japan and South Korea, who manage only 53 and 31 minutes respectively, and slightly more than British working mothers, at 81 minutes.

Gender gap: According to OECD figures, working mothers still spend more time with their children than non-working fathers

Different roles: Mothers spend more time, in minutes, on physical needs (dark blue). Fathers spend more time on education (light blue) (OECD average)

Only three countries came higher than the U.S., including Ireland, where working mothers spend two-and-a-half hours with their children, and Australia, where they manage two hours and 17 minutes.

The figures come from a new study by the Organisation of Economic Co-Operation and Development, which compiled data from 21 leading industrialised nations between 1998 and 2009.

It shows working mothers struggle to spend much more than an hour with their children each day, snatching only 74 minutes on average.

They still do far better than working fathers, whose averaged just 40 minutes caring for their youngsters. And even stay-at-home fathers only managed 51 minutes - less than working mothers.

Fatherly duty: Working fathers in the U.S. spend an average of 62 minutes with their children, second only to Australians

But America's working fathers have reason to be proud - they came second only to Australia, notching up 62 minutes a day with their children.

The U.S. and Hungary were the only two countries where non-working fathers spent more time with their children than working mothers, showing traditional gender roles still hold sway.

The study found mothers tend to spend more time on physical care, including feeding, washing and dressing, while fathers devote more time to education and recreation, such as playing sport or helping with homework.

HOW WORKING MOTHERS COMPARE: TIME PER DAY

Figures from 21 developed countries 1998-2009

Top

Ireland - 150 minutes

Australia - 137 minutes

Canada - 97 minutes

Bottom

South Korea - 31 minutes

Hungary - 39 minutes

South Africa - 45 minutes

It focuses only on 'primary' care - where the child is the sole focus - rather than 'secondary' care, where parents are doing something else while they watch their child.

Family and child psychologist Dr Sandra Wheatley said: 'I don't think parenting is a numbers game. The important thing is that children get opportunities to have fun with their parents.

'If a mother gets home from work and spends 45 minutes haring around the living room dressed up as a belly dancer, or making drums out of yoghurt pots, before a quick dinner and bed, that could easily be enough.'

She added it was 'curious' that stay-at-home mothers did not spend longer directly looking after their children.

She said: 'I think a lot of working mothers might think it's quite surprising - and maybe reassuring - that others who spend their time at home only spend just over an extra hour a day looking after their children.'