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When Gender Kicks In: An Experimental Study of Work from Home and Attitudes to Household Work and Childcare

Author

Listed:
  • Kotsadam, Andreas

    (Ragnar Frisch Centre for Economic Research)

  • Løvgren, Mette

    (Oslo Metropolitan University)

  • Moreau, Nicolas

    (Université de la Réunion)

  • Stancanelli, Elena G. F.

    (Paris School of Economics)

  • van Soest, Arthur

    (Tilburg University)

Abstract

We study how working from home links to gendered attitudes about household work and childcare. Using a vignette experiment embedded in a regular Dutch population representative survey, we randomly vary the gender of the partner working from home in a hypothetical dual-earner couple. When presented with various routine and emergency chores, respondents, on average, agree that the partner working from home should execute them. These effects are significantly larger when the vignette randomly depicts a man, rather than a woman, working from home, but these gender differences in respondents’ expectations vanish in a scenario where no partner works from home. All in all, the evidence gathered indicates that Work from Home may blast rather than boost gender norms around household work and childcare.

Suggested Citation

  • Kotsadam, Andreas & Løvgren, Mette & Moreau, Nicolas & Stancanelli, Elena G. F. & van Soest, Arthur, 2025. "When Gender Kicks In: An Experimental Study of Work from Home and Attitudes to Household Work and Childcare," IZA Discussion Papers 18324, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18324
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    JEL classification:

    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • 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
    • M54 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Labor Management

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