In 2015, Dads spent more time on child care and housework than in 1965, but still less than half the time Moms spent on these tasks. While Dad’s hours on child care increased from 2.5 to 7, they were still less than half the 15 hours that Moms spent on child care in 2015. Mom’s hours on house work decreased from 32 in 1965 to 18 in 2015, while Dad’s hours increased from 4 to 9. With respect to paid work, Mom’s hours almost tripled from an average of 9 to 25 and Dad’s hours decreased slightly from 46 to 43. The data from the Pew Research Center is summarized in the chart below:
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I chose to use a single bar chart to display data for both Moms and Dads. I added two data columns and a data row to the bar chart. The data row simply has the words Moms and Dads in it. I moved the labels so that they appear between the 1965 and 2015 columns. The data columns show the percentage change between 1965 and 2015 for Moms and Dads. I used a simple formula in the Mekko Graphics datasheet for these computations.
To put the data column for Moms in between the the bars, I first added a bar gap. To add a bar gap, click on the X axis in the area between 2015 Moms and 1965 Dads bar and drag the gap arrow until it passes the 1965 Dad bar. I then selected all the elements in the Moms change column and move them into the bar gap. Finally, I aligned the numbers to the data in the Moms 2015 bar.
I made one other small change to the chart. Dad’s child care hours in 1965 were 2.5, but displayed as 3 in the chart. The default in this chart is to display segment values with zero decimal places. I did not want all the other labels to display with one decimal place. I double-clicked on the Dad’s 1965 child care label and changed its value from 3 to 2.5. If you open the chart in Mekko Graphics, you will see that the moved labels (e.g., the data column for Mom’s and the data row) have small blue triangles in the corners. The edited label (2.5) has red triangles in its corners. This is how we note that some labels are moved and others are edited.
Moved and edited labels behave differently in Mekko Graphics. Edited labels do not move or change their value when the data behind them changes. Moved labels change their value when the data behind them changes. Mekko Graphics tries to keep moved labels in the same relative position when the underlying data changes.
Here is the chart in SlideShare to download and edit using Mekko Graphics: