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Estimating the effect of working from home on parents’ division of childcare and housework: A new panel IV approach

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  • Schüller, Simone

Abstract

This study investigates whether (and how) working from home (WFH) affects the gender division of parental unpaid labor. I use the recent COVID-19 pandemic that brought an unanticipated yet lasting shift to WFH, combined with a measure of occupational WFH feasibility (Alipour et al. 2023) as a quasi-experiment to employ an instrumental variable (IV) approach and estimate causal effects. I use unique longitudinal data from the “Growing up in Germany” (AID:A) panel study, which administered a pre-pandemic wave in 2019, and a post-pandemic wave in 2023. AID:A contains rich information on mothers’ and fathers’ time use for work, commuting, childcare, and housework. I find that the most robust effects emerge for frequent (at least once a week) paternal WFH on parental division of housework: families in which fathers start weekly WFH in the period 2019 to 2023—due to their occupational WFH capacity in combination with the pandemic WFH-boost—experience a significant decrease in the maternal share of housework. Interestingly, this shift appears to be mainly driven by a reduction of maternal time use for housework (combined with an increase in her work hours) and less by an increase in paternal time use for housework, suggesting cross-parent effects of WFH. Further analysis confirms changes in paternal gender role attitudes as a plausible mechanism.

Suggested Citation

  • Schüller, Simone, 2026. "Estimating the effect of working from home on parents’ division of childcare and housework: A new panel IV approach," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:labeco:v:99:y:2026:i:c:s0927537126000175
    DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco.2026.102866
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    Cited by:

    1. is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Jean-Victor Alipour, 2025. "Does Remote Work Reinforce Gender Gaps in (Un)Paid Labor?," CESifo Working Paper Series 12052, CESifo.
    3. Jean-Victor Alipour, 2025. "Does Remote Work Reinforce Gender Gaps in (Un)Paid Labor?," Rationality and Competition Discussion Paper Series 542, CRC TRR 190 Rationality and Competition.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth

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