2.3c Quantitative Methods

Quantitative Methods

Quantitative methods use statistical data and usually rely on large samples chosen with random sampling techniques. Random sampling means that everyone meeting a study’s basic requirements has an equal chance of being selected for inclusion in the study. Using random sampling means that the research results are typically generalizable.

A common method of collecting quantitative data is through surveys. Surveys ask a standard set of questions of a large pool of research participants, sometimes hundreds or thousands of people. 

Quantitative Research on COVID-19, Work, and Parenting

Quantitative researchers have also studied the relationship between work, parenting, and the pandemic. For example, Collins et al. (2020) examined how increased caregiving responsibility during the pandemic affected mothers’ and fathers’ paid work hours. They used secondary data analysis of the U.S. Current Population Survey to answer their question. They examined how many hours mothers and fathers reported working in February, March, and April 2020. February 2020 was pre-pandemic in the United States (see Figure 2.8). By April, most states had enacted stay-at-home measures, and most schools and daycare centers had closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Using survey data collected over these months allowed the researchers to understand the effect of COVID-19 on parents’ employment.

Mothers of children of all ages reduced their paid working hours, and those with the youngest children (ages 1-5) reduced their working hours the most. In contrast, fathers’ working hours changed little. The researchers used specialized statistical software to calculate whether the relationship between being a mother and reducing work hours was statistically significant. For a finding to be statistically significant, a change in one condition must be related to a change in another, and the change must not be due to chance. Collins et al. (2020) found that the relationship between motherhood and reduced work hours was statistically significant. Being a mother and mother of younger children correlated with reducing work hours during the pandemic.

Photo 2.5

Children in a Daycare

Quantitative and qualitative research about the same question can provide a fuller picture than one study alone can do. Research from Collins et al. (2020) suggests that many mothers reduced their work hours during the pandemic. The qualitative study from Calarco et al. (2021) shows how women justified that decision. Each study sheds light on a different aspect of pandemic parenting. Further, the two support the conclusions drawn by the other study about how the pandemic affected mothers’ and fathers’ caregiving and paid work differently.