Reciprocal Influences of Family Work and Employment

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is an application to study the relationship between two key components of contemporary family life: the allocation of family work and women's labor force participation. Drawing on a life course perspective, the study will comprehensively examine the reciprocal causal relationships between the gender division of unpaid household labor and women's labor market experiences among the same individuals over time. Researchers are increasingly aware of the interdependence of family life and labor markets. However, we know surprisingly little about the long-term consequences of the allocation of family work between women and men for women's labor force participation. We know even less about the way employment experiences influence the division of household labor over the life course. The lack of knowledge about the long-term connections between family work and employment is notable because empirical studies have demonstrated that the division of household labor and women's employment are each related to a range of health indicators including marital quality, mental health, and children's well-being. The proposed research plan focuses on identifying the determinants of the division of family work and women's employment experiences over long periods of time. The first goal of the proposed analysis is to examine the influence of multiple dimensions of employment on the division of family work at multiple points in time, as well as the predictors of change in the allocation of family work. These analyses will identify not only the immediate effects of employment on housework behaviors, but also the influence of employment early in marriage and accumulated work experience. The second goal of the research is to examine the influence of the division of family work on multiple measures of women's labor force participation over time. Focusing on employment status, hours, and histories, the study will identify the pathways through which household labor patterns early in a marriage influence women's labor force participation and their accumulation of human capital throughout the life course. The empirical analyses will rely on the Intergenerational Panel Study of Parents and Children, a data set spanning 31-years that includes key measures of family work, employment, and wide array of control variables.