Do Less Gendered Unpaid Work Arrangements during the Covid-19 Pandemic Lead to Higher Satisfaction from the Division of Childcare and Housework among Parents?

Ilyar Heydari Barardehi, University of Warsaw
Anna Kurowska , Univeristy of Warsaw

Despite some increased male involvement in housework and childcare during the COVID-19 pandemic, women, particularly mothers, continued to bear the primary burden of unpaid care work. Previous research on time use data indicates that women's well-being is closely linked to their hours spent on paid work and housework, while men's well-being appears less affected by these factors. The present study contributes to the literature by shedding light on how parents, especially women, derive satisfaction from the distribution of unpaid work during the pandemic. To explain gender differences in satisfaction stemming from the distribution of unpaid labour, we rely on equity theory and the role strain model. Using the Familydemic Harmonized Dataset (FHD) and conducting regression analyses with various control variables, the study reveals that a more equal or degendered division of unpaid work during the pandemic is associated with higher satisfaction in both childcare and housework responsibilities. This effect is more pronounced among female partners than males. Notably, for fathers who already had equal or degendered arrangements before the pandemic, these shifts were associated with reduced satisfaction. The gender gap in satisfaction widens as the division of unpaid labor becomes more gendered. Importantly, in cases with degendered pre-pandemic housework arrangements, the gender gap in satisfaction persists even as the level of pandemic housework division increases, indicating that the gender gap remains in relatively progressive arrangements.

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 Presented in Session 42. Gender, Households and Housework