The Coronavirus Crisis, Fathers’ Short-Time Work, and the Division of Child Care in Couples

Abstract

Objective. This paper examines how participation in the short-time work scheme affected the gendered division of child care during the COVID-19 crisis in Germany. Background. Short-time work (Kurzarbeit) has been one of the main policies used to combat the economic and labour market repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic in Germany. We examine whether and, if so, how the growing prevalence of short-time work has affected care patterns. Method. We use data from the IAB-HOPP, a longitudinal study monitored by the German Institute for Employment Research (IAB). The analytical sample includes couples with children aged 12 and younger (n=811). We employ multinomial logistic regressions in which the outcome variable is the change in the division of care work from a period before to a period during the coronavirus crisis (June to August 2020). Results: We find that among men, receiving short-time work benefits resulted in more gender-equal care patterns. However, we also find that participating in the short-time work programme had no strong or significant effects on the gendered division of care among women. Conclusion: The evidence from the coronavirus crisis suggests that changes in men’s work patterns have the potential to shift the gendered division of care in the household.