IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/pubeco/v254y2026ics0047272725002567.html

Women’s labor market opportunities and equality in the household

Author

Listed:
  • Grönqvist, Erik
  • Hensvik, Lena
  • Okuyama, Yoko
  • Thoresson, Anna

Abstract

We study how changes in couples’ relative wages affect the division of childcare. Using a nationwide wage reform that raised pay in the female-dominated teaching profession, we find that closing 25% of the earnings gap between female teachers and their male spouses led to a 12% reduction in the childcare time gap. This result holds when we extend the analysis to major pay raises for women at the population level. Data support the mechanism that women reduce their childcare time when the spouse can step in by working more from home. Policies that address female pay can foster household equality, if men have access to flexible work arrangements.

Suggested Citation

  • Grönqvist, Erik & Hensvik, Lena & Okuyama, Yoko & Thoresson, Anna, 2026. "Women’s labor market opportunities and equality in the household," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 254(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:254:y:2026:i:c:s0047272725002567
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2025.105557
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047272725002567
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2025.105557?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Danilo Cavapozzi & Marco Francesconi & Cheti Nicoletti, 2024. "Dividing Housework between Partners: Individual Preferences and Social Norms," CESifo Working Paper Series 11413, CESifo.
    2. Jeffrey T. Denning & Brian A. Jacob & Lars J. Lefgren & Christian vom Lehn, 2022. "The Return to Hours Worked within and across Occupations: Implications for the Gender Wage Gap," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 75(5), pages 1321-1347, October.
    3. Ankita Patnaik, 2019. "Reserving Time for Daddy: The Consequences of Fathers’ Quotas," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 37(4), pages 1009-1059.
    4. Nicholas Bloom & James Liang & John Roberts & Zhichun Jenny Ying, 2015. "Does Working from Home Work? Evidence from a Chinese Experiment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 130(1), pages 165-218.
    5. Daniel Avdic & Arizo Karimi, 2018. "Modern Family? Paternity Leave and Marital Stability," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 10(4), pages 283-307, October.
    6. Marianne Bertrand & Emir Kamenica & Jessica Pan, 2015. "Gender Identity and Relative Income within Households," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 130(2), pages 571-614.
    7. Lindahl, Erica & Rosenqvist, Olof & Selin, Håkan, 2023. "Gender-targeted transfers by default? - Evidence from a child allowance reform in Sweden," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    8. Peter Siminski & Rhiannon Yetsenga, 2022. "Specialization, Comparative Advantage, and the Sexual Division of Labor," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 40(4), pages 851-887.
    9. V. Joseph Hotz & Per Johansson & Arizo Karimi, 2017. "Parenthood, Family Friendly Workplaces, and the Gender Gaps in Early Work Careers," NBER Working Papers 24173, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Gørtz, Mette & Sander, Sarah & Sevilla, Almudena, 2025. "Does the child penalty strike twice?," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    11. Claudia Goldin & Lawrence F. Katz, 2011. "The Cost of Workplace Flexibility for High-Powered Professionals," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 638(1), pages 45-67, November.
    12. Henrik Kleven & Camille Landais & Johanna Posch & Andreas Steinhauer & Josef Zweimüller, 2024. "Do Family Policies Reduce Gender Inequality? Evidence from 60 Years of Policy Experimentation," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 16(2), pages 110-149, May.
    13. Olle Folke & Johanna Rickne, 2020. "All the Single Ladies: Job Promotions and the Durability of Marriage," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 12(1), pages 260-287, January.
    14. Rickard Eriksson & Magnus Nermo, 2010. "Care for Sick Children as a Proxy for Gender Equality in the Family," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 97(3), pages 341-356, July.
    15. George A. Akerlof & Rachel E. Kranton, 2000. "Economics and Identity," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 115(3), pages 715-753.
    16. David Card & Alexandre Mas & Enrico Moretti & Emmanuel Saez, 2012. "Inequality at Work: The Effect of Peer Salaries on Job Satisfaction," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 102(6), pages 2981-3003, October.
    17. Emma Duchini & Clémentine Van Effenterre, 2024. "School Schedule and the Gender Pay Gap," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 59(4), pages 1052-1089.
    18. Claudia Goldin, 2014. "A Grand Gender Convergence: Its Last Chapter," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(4), pages 1091-1119, April.
    19. Patricia Cortés & Jessica Pan, 2019. "When Time Binds: Substitutes for Household Production, Returns to Working Long Hours, and the Skilled Gender Wage Gap," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 37(2), pages 351-398.
    20. Jérôme Adda & Christian Dustmann & Katrien Stevens, 2017. "The Career Costs of Children," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 125(2), pages 293-337.
    21. Lundberg, Shelly & Pollak, Robert A, 1993. "Separate Spheres Bargaining and the Marriage Market," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 101(6), pages 988-1010, December.
    22. Henrik Kleven & Camille Landais & Jakob Egholt Søgaard, 2021. "Does Biology Drive Child Penalties? Evidence from Biological and Adoptive Families," American Economic Review: Insights, American Economic Association, vol. 3(2), pages 183-198, June.
    23. Patricia Cortés & Jessica Pan, 2023. "Children and the Remaining Gender Gaps in the Labor Market," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 61(4), pages 1359-1409, December.
    24. Coady Wing & Seth M. Freedman & Alex Hollingsworth, 2024. "Stacked Difference-in-Differences," NBER Working Papers 32054, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    25. Grönqvist, Erik & Hensvik, Lena & Thoresson, Anna, 2022. "Teacher career opportunities and school quality," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Grönqvist, Erik & Okuyama, Yoko & Hensvik, Lena & Thoresson, Anna, 2025. "Women's labor market opportunities and equality in the household," Working Paper Series 2025:11, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    2. Elif Bahar & Natasha Bradshaw & Nathan Deutscher & Maxine Montaigne, 2025. "Children and the Gender Earnings Gap: Evidence for Australia," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 101(332), pages 41-75, March.
    3. Olivetti, Claudia & Pan, Jessica & Petrongolo, Barbara, 2024. "The evolution of gender in the labor market," Handbook of Labor Economics,, Elsevier.
    4. Cavapozzi, Danilo & Francesconi, Marco & Nicoletti, Cheti, 2024. "Dividing Housework between Partners: Individual Preferences and Social Norms," IZA Discussion Papers 17370, IZA Network @ LISER.
    5. Boinet, Césarine & Norris, Jonathan & Romiti, Agnese & Shi, Zhan & Telemo, Paul, 2024. "Beliefs on Children's Human Capital Formation and Mothers at Work," IZA Discussion Papers 17574, IZA Network @ LISER.
    6. Benny, Liza & Bhalotra, Sonia & Fernández, Manuel, 2021. "Occupation flexibility and the graduate gender wage gap in the UK," ISER Working Paper Series 2021-05, Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    7. Tommaso Giommoni & Enrico Rubolino, 2024. "The Cost of Gender Identity Norms: Evidence from a Spouse Tax Credit," CESifo Working Paper Series 11311, CESifo.
    8. Dahl, Gordon & Loken, Katrine V., 2024. "Families, public policies, and the labor market," Handbook of Labor Economics,, Elsevier.
    9. Sun, Ang & Xia, Fang & Zhang, Xuan, 2025. "The motherhood penalty on health: Evidence from China," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 238(C).
    10. Jessen, Jonas, 2022. "Culture, children and couple gender inequality," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    11. Gordon Dahl & Katrine Loken, 2024. "Families, Public Policies, and the Labor Market," RFBerlin Discussion Paper Series 2423, ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin (RFBerlin).
    12. Rosenqvist, Olof, 2022. "Reducing the gender gap in parental leave through economic incentives? – Evidence from the gender equality bonus in Sweden," Working Paper Series 2022:22, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    13. Jessen, Jonas & Schweighofer-Kodritsch, Sebastian & Weinhardt, Felix & Berkes, Jan, 2023. "Separate Housework Spheres," VfS Annual Conference 2023 (Regensburg): Growth and the "sociale Frage" 277659, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    14. Pierre Pora & Lionel Wilner, 2025. "Dissecting Child Penalties," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 78(5), pages 859-884, October.
    15. Rosenqvist, Olof, 2024. "Reducing the gender gap in parental leave through economic incentives? – Evidence from the gender equality bonus in Sweden," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    16. Kouki, Amairisa, 2024. "Work from home and the racial gap in female wages," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    17. Amairisa Koukia & Robert M. Sauer, 2022. "Remote Work, Children’s Health and the Racial Gap in Female Wages," CHILD Working Papers Series 104 JEL Classification: C, Centre for Household, Income, Labour and Demographic Economics (CHILD) - CCA.
    18. Kouki, Amairisa & Sauer, Robert M., 2022. "Remote Work, Children's Health and the Racial Gap in Female Wages," IZA Discussion Papers 15072, IZA Network @ LISER.
    19. Julian V Johnsen & Hyejin Ku & Kjell G Salvanes, 2024. "Competition and Career Advancement," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 91(5), pages 2954-2980.
    20. Kristy Buzard & Laura K Gee & Olga Stoddard, 2025. "Who You Gonna Call? Gender Inequality in External Demands for Parental Involvement," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 140(4), pages 2805-2849.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:254:y:2026:i:c:s0047272725002567. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/505578 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.