Regarding survey data on family tasks, Bouton suggests:

• A. Surveys systematically overestimate men's involvement.
• B. Surveys are completely unreliable.
• C. There is no data on this topic.
• D. There is a tendency to exaggerate how much childcare men actually do.

Answer: (D)

When studying who does childcare, the way we measure it matters because people’s responses can be shaped by social expectations. Bouton points out that survey data often exaggerate how much childcare men actually do. This happens because respondents may want to present their household as egalitarian, or because tasks counted as childcare can be interpreted in ways that inflate men’s reported involvement. In contrast, other methods like time-use diaries, which track actual hours, often show a smaller share of childcare by men. So the best fit is the idea that survey data tend to overstate or exaggerate men’s childcare, reflecting how measurement and social desirability can skew self-reported figures.