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Background: Research on parents’ divisions of domestic labor during the COVID-19 pandemic has focused on average changes in housework and childcare during the pandemic’s first year, limiting our understanding of variation in parents’ experiences as well as the long-term consequences of the pandemic for gender inequality. Objective: This study identifies distinct patterns of change in U.S. parents’ divisions of housework and childcare from Spring 2020 to Fall 2023 and factors associated with changes in parents’ divisions of domestic labor. Methods: We use five waves of survey data (2020-2023) from partnered U.S. parents along with group-based trajectory and fixed effects models to identify longitudinal trajectories of parents’ divisions of housework and childcare and key factors that are associated with these trajectories. Results: Most U.S. parents (75-80%) maintained the same division of domestic labor throughout the pandemic. Nonetheless, one-quarter experienced long-term changes. Parents were equally as likely to transition to a nontraditional division of housework as a traditional one (10%), but were four times more likely to transition to a nontraditional division of childcare as a traditional division (21 vs. 5%). Parents were more likely to shift toward a nontraditional division of domestic labor when mothers worked full-time (and earned more income) and fathers worked from home at least sometimes during the pandemic. Contributions: Overall, results suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the long-term division of domestic labor in only a minority of families. Where change has occurred, however, it has been long-lasting, and in the case of childcare, it has tended to reduce gender inequalities rather than exacerbate them.
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This content will become publicly available on February 13, 2026
Cognitive housework and Parents' relationship satisfaction
This study examines the association between the division of cognitive housework and parents' relationship satisfaction. Background. Equity theory suggests that factors which either objectively (i.e., equal sharing) or subjectively (i.e., feeling appreciated) enhance partners' feelings of mutual benefit lead to greater relationship satisfaction. From an equity perspective, cognitive labor may be especially consequential for relationship satisfaction not only because it is boundless, burdensome work but also because it is invisible and often unappreciated. Drawing on equity theory, we argue that relationship satisfaction is highest when cognitive labor is equally shared. Method. We use cross‐sectional data on different‐gender partnered US parents from Wave 5 of the Study on US Parents' Divisions of Labor During COVID‐19 (SPDLC) and OLS regression to estimate associations between the division of cognitive housework and relationship satisfaction separately for mothers and fathers. Results. Equal divisions of cognitive housework are associated with the highest levels of relationship satisfaction for both mothers and fathers. This association is consistent across various measures and dimensions of cognitive housework, with few exceptions.Conclusion. Relationship satisfaction is highest when partners equally share cognitive housework, as sharing this labor may reduce burdens on one parent as well as increase the visibility and value of this often hidden form of domestic labor.
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- PAR ID:
- 10608569
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Marriage and Family
- ISSN:
- 0022-2445
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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