Summer comes, school is out, and finally, Mom can get a break from the trials and tribulations of the school year. Right? Well, not really. A recent study from the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests that mothers aren’t getting much of a summer vacation — even if Dad and the kids are. Moms may work a bit less, but teenage kids and their dads have it even easier.

Who gets a summer break?

The study came to those conclusions using data and interviews from the U.S. Census Current Population Survey and the American Time Use Survey. The study looked at families with at least one child ages 6 to 17. The authors also compared people’s use of time on weekdays in different months by mapping the data against summer vacation times at 11,000 school districts across the country from 2010 to 2019.

Among the major findings:

  • Mothers’ use of time is substantially more affected by the school year than fathers’.
  • This pattern of more maternal involvement does not vary substantially by income.
  • The same held true whether women worked outside the home or were stay-at-home moms.
  • Mothers do get a respite when school is out.
  • But moms get less of a respite than dads when school is out for the summer.
  • For teenagers (kids ages 15 to 17 in this study), summer vacation also meant a chance to catch up on sleep, with teens averaging an hour more sleep per night during the summer.

Some of these summertime changes are obvious. No one is going to be surprised that parents spend less time driving their kids to school or helping them with homework during the summer — or that teenagers like to sleep in when school is out.

Implications for family well-being

But the study notes that there are real implications for a family’s well-being here: “Mothers are substantially more affected by the school year than are fathers. When school is in session, mothers sleep less, spend more time caring for family members and driving them around, and spend less time on eating, free time and exercise.” And this is mostly true even when school is out and there are fewer family duties directly related to school.

While the study makes no recommendations, it’s pretty clear that in general, fathers need to start pulling their weight when it comes to kids and household responsibilities. Even during the summer. In fact, summer is a good time for dads to start the ramp up.

Other studies have shown that when men do more household chores, it not only gives women in the home time for some daily R&R, but it’s good for men’s health, too. A 2022 study from the American Academy of Neurology finds that regularly doing household chores is one factor that will help lower a man’s risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s.

So guys, get on the case. More help with the kids and around the house won’t just give Mom time for a daily chill pill, it’ll help you be more connected to your family now, and when you grow old it may help you remember how you did it.