Trends in Couples’ Work Patterns after Childbirth: Evidence from the SIPP and Administrative Earnings

• In Event: 525 - Section on the Sociology of the Family Paper Session. Work and Family Intersections

Abstract

This paper will examine how couple negotiation over work and earnings following parenthood has changed over time and how it has varied by social class. These questions represent critical gaps in the literature on gender, work, and family that limit our understanding of how family decision-making is shaped by changing norms and institutions—and ultimately how these processes play into increasing income inequality. We leverage long-running, successive panels from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) linked to administrative earnings data to assess trends over a quarter century in couples’ work and earnings before and after first birth.

Authors

• Kelly Musick, Cornell University

• Christine Renee Schwartz, Univ. Wisconsin, Madison