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Key Takeaways A new Pew Research Center survey finds that the boundary between work and family has become more blurred than ever for most American households.
The data shows that more parents than ever are in the workforce together and feel stretched thin by it.
The Pew findings land amid a growing chorus of research pointing in the same direction.
When Amber Petersen sits down at her office desk each morning, two competing voices follow her in.
“I feel like that tug of war is constantly on my mind of where I need to be — if I am missing out as a mom, or if I am disappointing somebody at work,” she told NPR in a new interview. “There’s just no way to be two things at once and give 100% at both.”
Petersen works as a legal assistant at a small law firm in Mason City, Iowa. For millions of American parents, her words resonate — and a sweeping new survey confirms that they are far from alone.
A new Pew Research Center survey of 2,242 working parents, conducted from March 2 to 15, finds that the boundary between work and family has grown blurred for most American households. The majority of full-time working parents (70%) say they handle parenting-related tasks during work hours, while 59% say they take care of work tasks while with their children. More than half (54%) said that balancing work and family responsibilities is difficult.
The numbers show a profound shift in how American families operate. As of 2025, just over half (52%) of couples with children under 18 have two full-time working parents, up from 31% in 1975. The data shows that more parents than ever are in the workforce together and feel stretched thin by it.
Mothers carry a heavier burden
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