The division of housework and childcare from a dyadic perspective: Discrepancies between partners’ reports across the transition to parenthood

Abstract

BACKGROUND There is a large body of research on the gendered division of domestic labor, but differences between women’s and men’s reported contributions to childcare and housework remain a puzzle. OBJECTIVE This study examines the reporting gap in the division of housework and childcare to understand how this gap changes across the transition to parenthood and how it is influenced by the couples’ constellations of educational and working hours. METHODS I use data from the German Family Panel (pairfam). The survey’s multi-actor design allows including both partners’ reports on the labor division. The sample consists of cohabiting different-sex couples who had their first child during the observation period, going from one year before the birth to two years after (n = 414). I employ logistic regressions to examine how the educational and working hours constellations are associated with reporting gaps. RESULTS This study reveals sizable reporting gaps in housework (45%) and childcare (38%) among couples during the transition to parenthood. Homogamous couples with tertiary education have the lowest predicted probability of reporting gaps. For the childcare reporting gap, I find that couples with a highly educated male partner and a medium or low-educated female partner exhibit the highest predicted probability of a reporting gap. The working hours constellation is unrelated to reporting gaps in either housework or childcare. CONTRIBUTION This study underscores that reporting gaps are systematically distributed, emphasizing the need for researchers to be aware of these patterns. Moreover, distinct results for housework and childcare emphasize the importance of analyzing them separately.