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

Abstract

Objective: We 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. Background: Supportive 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. Method: We 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. Results: Across 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. Conclusion: We 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.