IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jscscx/v13y2024i3p166-d1356616.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Remote Work, Gender Ideologies, and Fathers’ Participation in Childcare during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Daniel L. Carlson

    (Department of Family and Consumer Studies, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA)

  • Skye McPherson

    (Department of Family and Consumer Studies, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA)

  • Richard J. Petts

    (Department of Sociology, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306, USA)

Abstract

During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work became the new reality for many fathers. Though time availability theory suggests that this newfound flexibility should lead to more domestic labor on the part of fathers, many were skeptical that fathers would step up to shoulder the load at home. Indeed, the findings are decidedly mixed on the association of fathers’ remote work with their performance of housework and childcare. Nonetheless, research has yet to consider how contextual factors, such as fathers’ gender ideologies and mothers’ employment, may condition these associations. Using data from Wave 1 of the Study on U.S. Parents’ Divisions of Labor During COVID-19 (SPDLC), we examine how gender ideology moderates the association between fathers’ remote work and their performance and share of childcare during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in both sole-earner and dual-earner families. The results show, for sole-earning fathers and dual-earner fathers with egalitarian gender attitudes, that the frequency of remote work was positively associated with fathers performing more, and a greater share of, childcare during the pandemic. Yet, only dual-earner fathers with egalitarian gender attitudes performed an equal share of childcare in their families. These findings suggest that the pandemic provided structural opportunities for fathers, particularly egalitarian-minded fathers, to be the equally engaged parents they desired.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniel L. Carlson & Skye McPherson & Richard J. Petts, 2024. "Remote Work, Gender Ideologies, and Fathers’ Participation in Childcare during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-21, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:13:y:2024:i:3:p:166-:d:1356616
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/13/3/166/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/13/3/166/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yue Qian & Sylvia Fuller, 2020. "COVID-19 and the Gender Employment Gap among Parents of Young Children," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 46(S2), pages 89-101, August.
    2. Richard J. Petts & Daniel L. Carlson & Joanna R. Pepin, 2021. "A gendered pandemic: Childcare, homeschooling, and parents' employment during COVID‐19," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(S2), pages 515-534, July.
    3. Pascale Peters & Cécile Wetzels & Kea Tijdens, 2008. "Telework: Timesaving or Time-Consuming? An Investigation into Actual Working Hours," Journal of Interdisciplinary Economics, , vol. 19(4), pages 421-442, April.
    4. 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.
    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. Stefan Jestl & Maryna Tverdostup, 2024. "The Path Through: Early COVID-19 Job Loss and Labour Market Trajectories in Austria," wiiw Working Papers 246, The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, wiiw.
    2. 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.
    3. McGinnity, Frances & Russell, Helen & Alamir, Anousheh, 2024. "The equality impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Irish labour market," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number JR6.
    4. 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.
    5. 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.
    6. 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.
    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. Ana Tribin & Karen García-Rojas & Paula Herrera-Idarraga & Leonardo Fabio Morales & Natalia Ramirez-Bustamante, 2023. "Shecession: The Downfall of Colombian Women During the Covid-19 Pandemic," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(4), pages 158-193, October.
    9. Carolyn E. Waldrep & Marni Fritz & Jennifer Glass, 2024. "Preferences for Remote and Hybrid Work: Evidence from the COVID-19 Pandemic," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-22, June.
    10. Fukai, Taiyo & Ikeda, Masato & Kawaguchi, Daiji & Yamaguchi, Shintaro, 2023. "COVID-19 and the employment gender gap in Japan," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    11. 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.
    12. Zuazu-Bermejo, Izaskun, 2022. "Robots and women in manufacturing employment," ifso working paper series 19, University of Duisburg-Essen, Institute for Socioeconomics (ifso).
    13. Elisa Brini & Stefani Scherer & Agnese Vitali, 2024. "Gender and Beyond: Employment Patterns during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 43(3), pages 1-23, June.
    14. Núria Sánchez-Mira & Laura Bernardi & Benjamin Moles-Kalt & Cléolia Sabot, 2021. "The Reshaping of Daily Time during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lone Parent’s Work-Family Articulation in a Low-Intensity Lockdown," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-25, June.
    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. Arntz, Melanie & Ben Yahmed, Sarra & Berlingieri, Francesco, 2018. "Working from Home: Heterogenous Effects on Hours Worked and Wages," VfS Annual Conference 2018 (Freiburg, Breisgau): Digital Economy 181630, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    17. Anna Kurowska & Agnieszka Kasperska, 2024. "Work from Home and Perceptions of Career Prospects of Employees with Children," Working Papers 2024-08, Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Warsaw.
    18. Geoffrey M. Ducanes & Vincent Jerald R. Ramos, 2023. "COVID-19 Lockdowns and Female Employment: Evidence from the Philippines," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 44(4), pages 883-899, December.
    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. Richard Petts & Daniel Carlson, 2024. "Trajectories of US parents’ divisions of domestic labor throughout the COVID-19 pandemic," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 51(12), pages 377-424.

    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:gam:jscscx:v:13:y:2024:i:3:p:166-:d:1356616. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.