Paternity leave-taking and US Fathers' participation in housework

Abstract

Paternity leave may promote greater gender equality in domestic labour. Though numerous studies show that paternity leave promotes greater fathers' involvement in childcare, less is known about whether paternity leave-taking may facilitate fathers' involvement in other forms of domestic labour such as housework. Using repeated cross-sectional data on different-gender partnered US parents from the Study on Parents' Divisions of Labor During COVID-19 (SPDLC), this study examines the extent to which paternity leave-taking and length of paternity leave are associated with US fathers' shares of, and time spent on, housework. Findings suggest that paternity leave-taking is positively associated with fathers' shares of, and time spent on, housework tasks. Longer paternity leaves are also associated with fathers performing greater shares of housework. Overall, this study indicates that the benefits of paternity leave likely extend to fathers' greater participation in housework, providing additional support for the belief that increased use of paternity leave may help to promote gender equality in domestic labour.