In recent years, modern men have defied stereotypes by stepping up to help more with childcare and housework — and now it seems they’re cooking a lot more, too.

For 24 years, the Longitudinal Study of American Youth has studied Generation X, those individuals born between 1961 and 1981. The group’s recent quarterly report states that while male Gen Xers are still the most likely to eat fast food, they spend twice as much time cooking as their fathers did, even before they get married.

“These young adults are very active with food,” said study researcher Jon Miller of the University of Michigan, adding that the Gen X men “are more engaged in shopping and in cooking … they watch cooking shows, they read cooking articles, and they talk to their friends about cooking.”

Married women still cook the most, preparing about 12 meals a week, compared with the 10 meals a week for single women and eight weekly meals for both married and single men. Still, Miller said there’s a shift afoot, probably because there are so many two-income households these days.

“Our data shows that it’s still not [split evenly], because it was so far behind to begin with,” Miller said. “But, I think that for my grandchildren it will be dead even — it’s changing generationally.”

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