Indeed, a new analysis of an October 2020 Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults finds an increase in the share of mothers who said the best arrangement for them personally would be not to work for pay at all. About a quarter (27%) of mothers with children younger than 18 at home said this in the October 2020 survey, up from 19% who said so in a summer 2019 survey. The share of mothers who said it would be best for them to work full time dropped from 51% to 44% during that span, while around three-in-ten in both surveys said they would prefer to work part time.

There was no significant change in how fathers described their optimal work arrangements. In both the 2019 and 2020 surveys, around eight-in-ten dads said they would prefer to work full time. Much smaller shares said it would be best for them personally to work part time or not to work for pay at all.

The increase in the share of mothers who would prefer not to work for pay at all reflects, in large part, a change in the preferences of those who were not employed at the time. About two-thirds of mothers who were not employed in October 2020 (65%) said not working for pay was the best arrangement for them at that point in their life, up from 39% who said the same in 2019.