The evolution of family policies and couples' housework division after childbirth in Germany, 1994–2019

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveWe examine how the re‐traditionalization effect of childbirth on couples' division of housework has evolved over time as a result of major family policy change.BackgroundSupportive family policies are associated with a more egalitarian division of labor. However, it remains unclear how a country's transition from a modernized male breadwinner regime that supports maternal care to family policies that promote maternal employment and paternal caregiving change couples' gender‐typical division of housework in the long run.MethodWe use representative survey data from the German Socio‐Economic Panel (1994–2019, N = 14,648) and estimate the re‐traditionalization effect of childbirth on mothers' absolute and relative time‐use on housework over four policy periods with linear fixed‐effects regression models.ResultsAcross all periods, mothers took on larger absolute and relative levels of housework after childbirth, with a more pronounced and persistent gender‐typical division in West than in East Germany. However, mothers spent somewhat less absolute and relative time on housework in recent periods with stronger levels of de‐familiarizing and dual‐earner/dual‐carer policies than in earlier periods with policies supporting maternal caregiving.ConclusionWe find somewhat smaller and less persistent re‐traditionalization effects of childbirth in more supportive work–family policy periods. In sum, the small changes illustrate that even in contexts of enormous policy change, progress toward a less gender‐typical division of housework has been slow and rather small.