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COVID‐19 and the gender gap in work hours

Author

Listed:
  • Caitlyn Collins
  • Liana Christin Landivar
  • Leah Ruppanner
  • William J. Scarborough

Abstract

School and day care closures due to the COVID‐19 pandemic have increased caregiving responsibilities for working parents. As a result, many have changed their work hours to meet these growing demands. In this study, we use panel data from the US Current Population Survey to examine changes in mothers’ and fathers’ work hours from February through April 2020, the period of time prior to the widespread COVID‐19 outbreak in the United States and through its first peak. Using person‐level fixed effects models, we find that mothers with young children have reduced their work hours four to five times more than fathers. Consequently, the gender gap in work hours has grown by 20–50 per cent. These findings indicate yet another negative consequence of the COVID‐19 pandemic, highlighting the challenges it poses to women’s work hours and employment.

Suggested Citation

  • Caitlyn Collins & Liana Christin Landivar & Leah Ruppanner & William J. Scarborough, 2021. "COVID‐19 and the gender gap in work hours," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(S1), pages 101-112, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:gender:v:28:y:2021:i:s1:p:101-112
    DOI: 10.1111/gwao.12506
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    Cited by:

    1. Stefanie Huber, 2022. "SHE canÕt afford it and HE doesnÕt want it: The gender gap in the COVID-19 consumption response," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 22-029/II, Tinbergen Institute.
    2. Liang, Xiao & Rozelle, Scott & Yi, Hongmei, 2022. "The impact of COVID-19 on employment and income of vocational graduates in China: Evidence from surveys in January and July 2020," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    3. María del Pilar Toyos, 2022. "Cierre de escuelas en pandemia y brechas de género en Argentina: ¿madres más vulnerables?," Asociación Argentina de Economía Política: Working Papers 4603, Asociación Argentina de Economía Política.
    4. Lashitew, Addisu A., 2023. "When businesses go digital: The role of CEO attributes in technology adoption and utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    5. Maria Jose Luengo-Prado, 2021. "COVID-19 and the Labor Market Outcomes for Prime-Aged Women," Current Policy Perspectives 90899, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
    6. Kozhaya, Mireille, 2022. "The double burden: The impact of school closures on labor force participation of mothers," Ruhr Economic Papers 956, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    7. Jacques Wels, & Booth, Charlotte & Wielgoszewska, Bożena & Green, Michael J. & Di Gessa, Giorgio & Huggins, Charlotte F. & Griffith, Gareth J. & Kwong, Alex S.F. & Bowyer, Ruth C.E. & Maddock, Jane & , 2022. "Mental and social wellbeing and the UK coronavirus job retention scheme: Evidence from nine longitudinal studies," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 308(C).
    8. Alang Tho & Tran Quang Tri, 2022. "Investigating female employees’ work-life balance practices under the Covid-19 pandemic," HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF SCIENCE - SOCIAL SCIENCES, HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF SCIENCE, HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY, vol. 12(1), pages 144-155.
    9. Sabrina Wulff Pabilonia & Victoria Vernon, 2023. "Who is doing the chores and childcare in dual-earner couples during the COVID-19 era of working from home?," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 519-565, June.
    10. Crowley-Henry Marian & Coogan Kim Margaret & Redmond Cora & Sheil Niall, 2021. "Tales from the Irish diaspora during COVID-19: Prompting a future research agenda for global mobility," The Irish Journal of Management, Sciendo, vol. 40(2), pages 157-172, December.
    11. Juan Carlos Martín-Quintana & Juan Carlos Martín & Pedro F. Alemán, 2022. "The Effects of COVID-19 on Family Climate: A Fuzzy Clustering Approach to Examine Spanish Households," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-20, May.
    12. Maryna Tverdostup, 2023. "COVID-19 and Gender Gaps in Employment, Wages, and Work Hours: Lower Inequalities and Higher Motherhood Penalty," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 65(4), pages 713-735, December.
    13. Eveliina Heino & Hanna Kara & Camilla Nordberg, 2024. "Changes in the Well-Being of Foreign Language Speaking Migrant Mothers Living in Finland during the Initial Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-17, January.
    14. Cecilia Obeng & Mary Slaughter & Emmanuel Obeng-Gyasi, 2022. "Childcare Issues and the Pandemic: Working Women’s Experiences in the Face of COVID-19," Societies, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-11, July.
    15. Mars, Lidón & Arroyo, Rosa & Ruiz, Tomás, 2022. "Mobility and wellbeing during the covid-19 lockdown. Evidence from Spain," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 107-129.
    16. Andrew Taeho Kim & Matt Erickson & Yurong Zhang & ChangHwan Kim, 2022. "Who is the “She” in the Pandemic “She-Cession”? Variation in COVID-19 Labor Market Outcomes by Gender and Family Status," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(3), pages 1325-1358, June.
    17. Zuazu-Bermejo, Izaskun, 2022. "Robots and women in manufacturing employment," ifso working paper series 19, University of Duisburg-Essen, Institute for Socioeconomics (ifso).
    18. Ana Carolina OGANDO & Michael ROGAN & Rachel MOUSSIÉ, 2022. "Impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic and unpaid care work on informal workers' livelihoods," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 161(2), pages 171-194, June.
    19. Seulkee Heo & Pedro Diaz Peralta & Lan Jin & Claudia Ribeiro Pereira Nunes & Michelle L. Bell, 2022. "Disparities in COVID-19 Impacts on Work Hours and Career Satisfaction by Gender and Race among Scientists in the US: An Online Survey Study," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-18, December.
    20. Kwon, Eunrang & Yun, Jinhyuk & Kang, Jeong-han, 2023. "The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on gendered research productivity and its correlates," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 17(1).

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