Men Doing Their Share

We've long suspected that old image of the father putting in his office hours, then not lifting a finger at home was hopelessly outdated, more a cartoon clich than anything else. Now we have a nationwide survey to back us up.

The Families and Work Institute, based in New York, just released a study of today's American families that shows dads are spending more time with their children, doing more housework, and, moreover, trying to orchestrate their careers so they'll be around the home more during crucial child-rearing years. The comparison date was 1977, when the Department of Labor did a similar study.

Maybe the extra time being spent with children is only a half-hour per workday - but that's 2-1/2 hours a week, 10 hours a month, an added week or more each year. Family life thrives on well-spent half-hours.

With increasing numbers of two-earner marriages and longer average work weeks, the survey suggests home life depends on solid partnership. Kudos to the men who are making it a more equal partnership.