In the last 50 years, there have been major changes in family structures and in the institution of marriage (especially with an increase in single-parenting and working women) in many countries, leading some to worry that children might be getting 'short-changed' (1999, the Council of Economic Advisors, US).
However, recent studies looking at parents' time with children, from both the parents' and child's persepective, show the opposite.
Concerning a parents' time with children from the parents' perspective, (Giulia Dotti Sani and Judith Treas, 2016) there has been a significant increase in the amount of time parents spend with their children over the last 50 years, with some differences between countries (except France and Slovenia) and within countries (mothers spend more time with childcare than fathers in Canada, the US, and France).
In regards to parents' time with children from the child's point of view (John Sandberg and Sandra Hofferth, 2001) children spent about 4.3 hours more per week with their mothers, and 3 hours more per week with their fathers in 1997 compared to 1981.
The studies and data analysis showed that regardless of employment and working time outside the home, individual preferences and social conventions, and economic progress (which is dynamic and changes over time), determines the actual allocation of time within this range of possible options. Thus, 'behavioral changes' compensated for 'structural changes' that could have gone in the opposite direction and become obstacles for child development.
