Changes in Parental Time with Children in China, 2004–2011

Abstract

Using data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey, this research addresses the limitations of previous research on parental involvement in childcare in China by examining the cohort variations in parents’ childcare time and exploring the influences of individual characteristics on childcare for each parent within the family. The results show that while the trend in men’s childcare time increased from 2004 to 2011, women’s childcare time slightly decreased over the same period; however, while women spent more childcare time in more recent cohorts relative to earlier cohorts, there is no significant change across men’s cohorts.