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The division of labor in couples with children: A dyadic analysis in the German context

  • This cumulative dissertation examines how couples with children in Germany divide paid and unpaid work and identifies several factors related to a more egalitarian division of labor. In the first paper, I focus on the division of paid work in couples with children, comparing female same-sex and different-sex couples, which constitutes an empirical novelty. Discussing the applicability of division of labor theories to same-sex couples, I further exploit the historically shaped gender culture of East and West Germany. Based on the German Microcensus (2010-2019) and using pooled OLS regressions, I show that female same-sex couples divide paid work more equally than different-sex couples. Comparing East and West Germany, I find a similarly equal division of paid work among same-sex and different-sex couples in the East, while different-sex couples in the West specialize more. The analysis highlights the importance of the cultural context and normative explanations of the division of labor. The second paper turns to childcare, the intersection of the paid working life with the father’s contribution to childcare being a key concern of researchers and policymakers. The COVID-19 pandemic and the short-time work scheme provided a “natural experiment” for investigating this nexus. Based on IAB-HOPP data and multinomial logistic regressions, we show that fathers in short-time work take over more care responsibilities than fathers continuously employed with regular working 1 hours. The findings indicate that policies targeting men’s working hours can affect the gendered distribution of childcare within couples. The third paper focuses on the methodological problem of analyzing the division of unpaid work in couples often from one partner’s perspective only. Therefore, I examine the determinants of ‘perception gaps’ (defined as the mismatches between partners’ responses). Based on pairfam data, I analyze respondents’ reports on housework and childcare during the transition to first parenthood and show that a substantial perception gap exists, with 30% regarding housework and 25% concerning childcare. Results of the logistic regressions indicate that perception gaps are lowest among couples where the woman is employed or highly educated. These findings clearly underline the importance of a dyadic perspective on the division of labor in couples.

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Metadaten
Document Type:Doctoral Thesis
Language:English
Author(s):Tabea NaujoksORCiD
Advisor:Michaela Kreyenfeld, Anette Eva Fasang, Heike Trappe, Marie Evertsson
Hertie Collections (Serial Number):Dissertations submitted to the Hertie School (09/2024)
Publication year:2024
Publishing Institution:Hertie School
Granting Institution:Hertie School
Thesis date:2023/10/17
Number pages:203
DOI:https://doi.org/10.48462/opus4-5538
Release Date:2024/07/01
Notes:
Part of this dissertation has been published:

Chapter 3
Journal article: Naujoks, T., Kreyenfeld, M., & Dummert, S. (2022). The division of child care during the coronavirus crisis in Germany: How did short-time work affect fathers’ engagement? Journal of Family Research, 34(1), 67-98. https://doi.org/10.20377/jfr-717

Pre-print: Naujoks, T., Kreyenfeld, M., & Dummert, S. (2021). The Coronavirus Crisis, Fathers’ Short-Time Work, and the Division of Child Care in Couples. Working Paper. Hertie School. https://doi.org/10.48462/opus4-3870
Hertie School Research:Publications PhD Researchers
Licence of document (German):Creative Commons - CC BY-NC - Namensnennung - Nicht kommerziell 4.0 International
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