Dashed Expectations and Unmet Desires of Belgian and German First-Time Fathers Regarding Their Engagement in Breadwinning and Childcare

Abstract

In many Western cultures, norms for the division of breadwinning and childcare in heterosexual couples are increasingly shifting towards expectant parents aiming and expecting to share these tasks relatively more equally. Some evidence exists, though, that after birth, parents often face violations of their expectations or desires regarding this task division. We conducted a longitudinal study to examine first-time fathers’ dashed expectations and unmet desires for the division of traditionally gendered tasks: breadwinning, childcare, and non-routine (e.g., home repairs) as well as routine (e.g., cleaning) household labor. Data were collected from 119 Belgian and German first-time fathers before birth and roughly four months after birth. In line with hypotheses, the postnatal task division was generally more traditional than fathers had expected and desired before birth. After birth, fathers engaged more in breadwinning but less in childcare than expected and desired (except for physical childcare tasks such as feeding the baby). Contrary to hypotheses, no substantial discrepancies occurred between expectations, desires, and experiences for routine household tasks. In contrast, fathers did do significantly more non-routine household tasks after birth than they expected and desired prenatally. Regarding expectations and desires for five years in the future, fathers continued to strive for a more equal and less gendered division of breadwinning and childcare than established after birth, suggesting that expectations and desires continue, but reality constraints led to a gendered task division. We discuss reasons for this re-traditionalization of the task division in male-female couples after childbirth.