Final answer:
Gale, as a mother today, is likely to spend more time on child care compared to her own mother 40 years ago, due to shifts in parenting philosophy and the influence of 'maternal feminism'.
Therefore, the correct answer is: option A) more
Step-by-step explanation:
Considering social trends and historical research, it is likely that Gale would spend more time on child care than her mother did 40 years ago. This increase can be attributed partly to new theories on infant care that have evolved over the years, making motherhood a more intensive task.
Additionally, despite the falling birthrate and increased life expectancy which suggests that parenting is not as prolonged a task as in the past, the concept of 'maternal feminism' suggests that women would take out into the world the qualities that made them valuable within the family, implying a more active and time-consuming role in child rearing.
Research suggests that, generally, people feel that their current family is at least as close as families in the past if not more close. Also, parenting roles have consumed less and less time over the past decades due to social changes, but the quality and intensity of the time spent child rearing could be considered more focused and involved.