The Perception of Fairness in the Division of Labor across the Transition to Parenthood

Abstract: Labor division is highly gendered in Germany, especially after the transition to parenthood. When having a child, more women than men are taking parental leave, and mainly women do the additional household chores. While many studies have looked at the distribution of labor across the transition to parenthood, few studies have investigated how this distribution is perceived. This study explores the perceived fairness of the division of labor in a partnership before and after the transition to parenthood using ordinary least squares (OLS) and fixed-effects regressions. As the focus is set on Germany, the data for the analysis derive from pairfam, a German panel study launched in 2008. The results show that men’s perceived fairness of the division of labor is hardly affected by the transition to fatherhood. For women, in contrast, motherhood leads to a higher perception of fairness. Employment thereby mediates this relationship by decreasing the effect the transition to motherhood has on the fairness. The findings hint to a dissatisfaction of employed women with the distribution of paid and unpaid work after transitioning to parenthood.