Reasons to Reduce: A Vignette-Experiment Examining Men and Women's Considerations to Scale Back Following Childbirth

Abstract

The reduction of working hours can help avoid work-family conflict, yet many people who would like to scale back do not actually do so. This vignette-experiment examines which considerations are most important in men and women's decision-making whether to scale back following childbirth. About 2,464 vignettes were conducted in the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Results indicate that men find the income of their partner and career consequences most important, while women focus mainly on partner income and collegial support. Swedes, however, differ from their Dutch and British counterparts, and express more counter-gender-normative behavior.