The gender gap in paid and unpaid work along the life cycle: The role of household arrangements

We examined how men and women in Spain contribute to market and nonmarket production and share it among household members in various living arrangements, considering the role of partnership and parenthood status. Extending the National Transfer Accounts method, our results show that women produce more in the market at the beginning of the life cycle, but when they become a couple or have children, they focus on nonmarket production, widening the gender gap. Men have relatively stable market production whether they are fathers or not. Moreover, when living alone, men are able to produce the housework they consume. However, when they live together in a couple (without children), their household production decreases and their consumption increases at the expense of the transfers from their partner. Parenthood has a positive effect on men’s care work, but overall, women spend more time on paid and unpaid work combined, regardless of living arrangements.