El nivel de disfrute durante las actividades de cuidado de hijos: Un análisis utilizando datos de la UKTUS 2014-15[The level of enjoyment during childcare activities: An analysis using data from UKTUS 2014-15]

Fathers and mothers invest financial resources and time in caring for their children, which constitutes an important element for the development of their human capital and for them to become productive adults. The time that parents dedicate to caring for their children depends, to a large extent, on the enjoyment that they experience during these activities. However, differences are observed in the enjoyment that parents report during child care activities, which depend on the type of activity and other characteristics of these. We used data from the 2014-2015 UK Time Use Survey (UKTUS) to analyze differences in parental reported enjoyment of caring for children. We find that more educated parents report lower levels of enjoyment during all types of child care despite more educated mothers spending more time on basic child care. Telecommuting mothers report lower levels of enjoyment during educational–supervised child care, and telecommuting fathers report higher levels of enjoyment during basic child care. In addition, teleworking has a differentiating effect on mothers who are more educated and have secondary education. This work can be used to understand and characterize the enjoyment of parents during child care and its implications, for example, impact on the development of children's human capital. In addition, it can serve as a starting point for future studies related to teleworking by parents, the impact on the level of enjoyment and the implications for the development of cognitive, social and other skills in children.