The bar chart compares the percentages of time that Australian mothers and fathers spent helping their children with four different activities in 2013.
Overall, mothers spent considerably more time helping their children with dressing and homework, whereas fathers were more involved in playing games and preparing for bed. In all four activities, the proportion of time spent by both parents together was relatively small.
Regarding dressing, mothers accounted for the highest proportion, at 70%, compared with only 20% for fathers. A similar pattern can be seen in homework, although the difference was smaller: mothers spent approximately 60% of their time on this activity, while fathers accounted for 30%. The figure for both parents together was around 5% for dressing and 10% for homework.
In contrast, fathers were much more involved in playing games with their children, at 70%, while the corresponding figure for mothers was just 25%. For preparing for bed, fathers again had a slightly higher figure than mothers, at 50% and 45% respectively. Only a very small percentage of time was spent by both parents together on these activities, at approximately 5% and 2%.