Workload and catecholamine excretion in parents of preschool children

Twenty-six families, each with a child of six, were examined with regard to total workload, that is, the combination of paid employment and unpaid work (household duties, child care, etc.), and catecholamine excretion at home. Both parents were employed at least 30 hours/week outside the home. The total number ofworking hours, paid and unpaid, averaged 85 for men and 84 for women. Men spent more hours in paid work, women more in household duties, whereas there were no signficant differences with regard to child care. Women reported less influence over their allocation of time to various duties and more conflict between duties. In women, but not in men, a significant positive correlation was found between the general amount of overtime at work and adrenaline excretion at home.