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Cracking under Pressure? Gender Role Attitudes toward Maternal Employment in Times of a Pandemic

Author

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  • Natalia Danzer
  • Mathias Huebener
  • Astrid Pape
  • C. Katharina Spieß
  • Nico A. Siegel
  • Gert G. Wagner

Abstract

This paper studies the effects of Covid-19 related daycare and school closures on gender role attitudes toward maternal employment in Germany. We compare women and men with dependent children to those without children one year after the outbreak of the pandemic. Using data on gender role attitudes from 2008 through 2021, we find that fathers’ egalitarian attitudes toward maternal employment dropped substantially in 2021. This drop is observed for men in West Germany, who showed a steady progression toward more egalitarian attitudes in the pre-pandemic period. Attitudes by women are not affected. These findings suggest that the pandemic not only affected the short-term allocation of housework and childcare, but also reversed recent trends toward more egalitarian gender roles.

Suggested Citation

  • Natalia Danzer & Mathias Huebener & Astrid Pape & C. Katharina Spieß & Nico A. Siegel & Gert G. Wagner, 2021. "Cracking under Pressure? Gender Role Attitudes toward Maternal Employment in Times of a Pandemic," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1951, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:diw:diwwpp:dp1951
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mathias Huebener & Sevrin Waights & C. Katharina Spiess & Nico A. Siegel & Gert G. Wagner, 2021. "Parental well-being in times of Covid-19 in Germany," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 91-122, March.
    2. Quentin Lippmann & Alexandre Georgieff & Claudia Senik, 2020. "Undoing Gender with Institutions: Lessons from the German Division and Reunification," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 130(629), pages 1445-1470.
    3. Goodman-Bacon, Andrew & Marcus, Jan, 2020. "Using Difference-in-Differences to Identify Causal Effects of COVID-19 Policies," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 14(2), pages 153-158.
    4. Titan Alon & Sena Coskun & Matthias Doepke & David Koll & Michèle Tertilt, 2022. "From Mancession to Shecession: Women’s Employment in Regular and Pandemic Recessions," NBER Macroeconomics Annual, University of Chicago Press, vol. 36(1), pages 83-151.
    5. Quentin Lippmann & Alexandre Georgieff & Claudia Senik, 2020. "Undoing Gender with Institutions: Lessons from the German Division and Reunification," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 130(629), pages 1445-1470.
    6. Andrew Goodman-Bacon & Jan Marcus, 2020. "Difference-in-Differences to Identify Causal Effects of COVID-19 Policies," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1870, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    7. Jessen, Jonas & Spieß, C. Katharina & Waights, Sevrin & Wrohlich, Katharina, 2021. "Sharing the Caring? The Gender Division of Care Work during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Germany," IZA Discussion Papers 14457, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Denise Barth & Jonas Jessen & C. Katharina Spieß & Katharina Wrohlich, 2020. "Mütter in Ost und West: Angleichung bei Erwerbstätigenquoten und Einstellungen, nicht bei Vollzeiterwerbstätigkeit," DIW Wochenbericht, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research, vol. 87(38), pages 699-706.
    9. repec:hal:journl:hal-03627187 is not listed on IDEAS
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    Cited by:

    1. Doepke, Matthias & Hannusch, Anne & Kindermann, Fabian & Tertilt, Michèle, 2022. "The Economics of Fertility: A New Era," IZA Discussion Papers 15224, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Lucas van der Velde, 2022. "Changes in attitudes towards gender norms following childbirth," Working Papers 397, Leibniz Institut für Ost- und Südosteuropaforschung (Institute for East and Southeast European Studies).
    3. Kabir Dasgupta & Linda Kirkpatrick & Alexander Plum, 2024. "Parental Employment at the Onset of the Pandemic: Effects of Lockdowns and Government Policies," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2024-012, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    4. Werner, Katharina & Woessmann, Ludger, 2021. "The Legacy of COVID-19 in Education," IZA Discussion Papers 14796, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Natalia Danzer & Sebastian Garcia-Torres & Max Friedrich Steinhardt & Luca Stella, 2024. "Women in political power and school closure during COVID times," Economic Policy, CEPR, CESifo, Sciences Po;CES;MSH, vol. 39(120), pages 765-810.
    6. Kabir Dasgupta & Linda Kirkpatrick & Alexander Plum, 2024. "Parental Employment at the Onset of the Pandemic: Effects of Lockdowns and Government Policies," Working Papers 2024-02, Auckland University of Technology, Department of Economics.
    7. Boring, Anne & Moroni, Gloria, 2023. "Turning back the clock: Beliefs about gender roles during lockdown," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    8. Christina Boll & Simone Schüller, 2023. "The Economic Well-Being of Nonresident Fathers and Custodial Mothers Revisited: The Role of Paternal Childcare," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 44(4), pages 836-853, December.
    9. repec:hal:journl:hal-03627187 is not listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Covid-19; gender role attitudes; childcare; difference-in-difference; ALLBUS; COMPASS;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J18 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Public Policy
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

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