Gendered Housework Dynamics Before and After Moving in Together: An Event Study of Couples in Germany

• In Event: Sociology of Sex and Gender Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 7. Parenting, Household Labor, and Family Negotiation

Abstract

The article examines how the transition to cohabitation shapes gender inequalities in housework among German heterosexual couples. Most previous studies have focused on established co-residential relationships. In contrast, this study highlights the transition to cohabitation as a critical event, marking the onset of shared household organization. Using the German Socio-Economic Panel (1999–2017) with 6,891 observations from 1,563 individuals, the study employs an event study design to estimate the effect of cohabitation on housework for men and women. The findings reveal that gender differences in housework predate cohabitation but increase sharply once couples begin living together. This widening gap results primarily from an overall rise in women’s total housework but also a small reduction of men’s contribution. Parenthood, an event that often coincides with moving together, can explain only half of the effect of cohabitation on housework hours of men and women. The results suggest that cohabitation triggers an increase in gender inequality in housework, driven by both pre-existing gender norms and a bargaining process that disproportionately burdens women.

Author

• Maximilian Schiele, Institute für Arbeitsmarkt und Berufsforschung