This book focuses on the time use of mothers of preteenaged children in the United States from 2003 to 2006. We explore how mothers at the start of the twenty-first century are using their time in order to better understand their lives, the lives of their partners, and the lives of their children. Differences in the time choices American mothers make will have important implications for their own well-being and the well-being of family members. The study of maternal time use is hugely important because of the relationship between quality caregiving and child well-being. Additionally, employers looking for new labor pools are also affected by the time use choices of mothers of young children because 60 percent of American mothers with young children are employed. The time choices of mothers in the United States also affect policymakers' thinking about things such as educational policy, the role that taxes play in the allocation of time between paid and unpaid activities, and possible expansion of publicly funded preschool - Introduction.