The norm in America used to be for one parent to stay home, looking after the home and children. Over time, that situation has increasingly become uncommon as economic pressure has pushed both parents to hold full-time jobs.
A new report from the Pew Research Center indicates that an American family with children under 18 years old having mom, or sometimes dad, either not working or working only part time has transitioned to being the situation in just a minority of households. The June 16 report at the Pew Research Center website relates:
The work arrangements of moms and dads who are married or living together have changed considerably in recent decades. As of 2025, just over half (52%) of different-sex couples with children under 18 consist of two full-time working parents. This is up from 46% a decade ago and 31% in 1975, according to Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.
If this trend reverses so that the percentage of households where one parent is not working full time increases over coming years, we will have a strong indication of economic improvement in American households. Such a reversal should also yield benefits for the children who as a result will have more time with and more guidance from parents.
