The average American woman is more likely to be employed and is spending more time on the job than ever. But she is spending just as much time doing chores around the house.

The annual American Time Use survey conducted by the Labor Department finds that employed women spend an average of 7.3 hours per workday on the job, compared to 7.88 hours for employed men.

Over the past 15 years the numbers have fluctuated. In 2003, women worked an average of 7.05 hours a day, but that dropped to below 7 in 2009, during the recession, after which it has bobbed up and down but generally is increasing.

Similarly, the hours-per-day worked by men has fluctuated, hitting a low of 7.82 hours in 2010 and a high of 8.14 hours in 2014.

Meanwhile, the average employed woman reporting spending an average of 2.29 hours a day doing household chores. Employed men reported an average of 1.79 hours.

Employed women with children spend two hours a day caring for their kids, compared to 1.4 hours for men. The gap between women who aren't working and men who aren't working is even greater –– the women spend nearly 3 hours a day on kids while men spend just over 2.2 hours.

Employed men report spending substantially more time on leisure and sports: 4.63 hours a day compared to 3.77 hours for working women. Fathers spend about a half hour more per day on leisure than mothers –– roughly 4 hours compared to 3.5 hours.

On the bright side for women, they tend to get more slightly sleep than men: 8.55 hours compared to 8.47 hours.

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Instant Insights /

Women are working more, at home and on the job

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