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Changes in gender ideology are often observed as couples transition into parenthood, according to recent research published in the Journal of Marriage and Family. The study suggests that women are inclined to embrace more traditional roles following childbirth, a pattern that is more pronounced when their husbands already hold such views and contribute more financially. For men, shifts in gender ideology after becoming fathers seem to be related to both their wives’ gender perspectives and the economic dynamics of the partnership.
Parenthood is a major life event that can strongly influence the dynamics within a romantic relationship. After a child is born, it is common for roles within a family to become more traditionally divided, with women often taking on a larger share of housework and childcare. This division of labor can then become intertwined with personal beliefs about gender roles.
While previous studies have shown that motherhood often leads women to adopt more traditional views, the impact of fatherhood on men’s gender ideology has been less clear. Importantly, there has been limited research on how the gender ideologies of both partners in a couple influence each other during this transformative period. The new study aimed to fill this gap by examining how spouses’ gender ideologies and their relative economic power within the relationship interact to shape individual beliefs as they transition into parenthood.
“My interest in this research topic was inspired by conversations with friends who have gone through the transition to parenthood. They often express surprise at how challenging it is to maintain a work-life balance, citing the demands of their jobs and the high level of caregiving responsibilities,” said study author Muzhi Zhou, an assistant professor at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
“Many have shared that their perceptions of their roles have shifted significantly, particularly in how their ability to cope is influenced by their partner. This has led me to believe that examining the dynamics between spouses during this period of significant change could provide valuable insights into how their beliefs about gender roles may evolve as they navigate the challenges of parenthood.”
To conduct their investigation, the researchers used data from a long-term study in the United Kingdom called the United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study, which incorporates its earlier version, the British Household Panel Study. This extensive dataset spans from 1991 to 2020 and follows the same households and individuals over many years. The researchers focused on heterosexual couples and selected those where both partners completed questionnaires. Their final sample included over 7,700 couples, providing more than 26,000 observations across different years. They concentrated on couples aged 18 to 59, as this is the age range when people are most likely to have young children and be actively working.
The researchers were interested in measuring gender ideology, which they defined as people’s ideas about the roles of men and women in work and at home. To measure this, they used responses to three statements: “A preschool child is likely to suffer if his or her mother works,” “All in all, family life suffers when the woman has a full-time job,” and “A husband’s job is to earn money, a wife’s job is to look after the home and family.” Participants rated their agreement with these statements on a scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree. These questions are commonly used to gauge traditional versus egalitarian gender views in the United Kingdom.
To determine parenthood status, they looked at whether individuals had children under the age of 16 living in their household. They categorized participants as either non-parents (no children) or parents (one or more children). They also measured the spouse’s gender ideology using the same method described above. To understand economic power dynamics, they calculated the husband’s relative income as the percentage of the total household income he contributed.
Finally, they included several other factors that could influence gender ideology, such as the age of both partners, whether they were married or cohabiting, any long-term illnesses, individual and household income levels, employment status (full-time, part-time, or not employed), and whether they owned their home. They also accounted for changes over time by including year indicators in their analysis.
The researchers used a statistical technique called fixed effects regression. This method is particularly useful for tracking changes within the same couples over time, effectively controlling for many stable characteristics that might otherwise influence the results. By focusing on changes within couples as they transitioned to parenthood, the researchers could more directly assess the impact of having children on gender ideology and how this was shaped by spousal beliefs and income dynamics.
The study’s findings confirmed that becoming parents is indeed linked to shifts in gender ideology. For wives, the transition to motherhood was associated with a move towards more traditional gender views. In contrast, husbands, on average, tended to become slightly more egalitarian after becoming fathers. The study also revealed that a spouse’s gender ideology plays a significant role. Both wives and husbands were more likely to adopt traditional gender ideologies if their partners already held more traditional views.
The researchers also found that the husband’s income share in the household was associated with gender ideology changes after parenthood. Wives whose husbands contributed a larger percentage of the household income were more likely to become traditional after having children. This effect was especially pronounced when the husband’s income share was very high. Conversely, husbands who contributed a smaller percentage of the household income were more inclined to become more egalitarian after becoming fathers.
“I was surprised to find that men’s higher income plays a significant role in shaping traditional gender ideologies during the transition to parenthood,” Zhou told PsyPost. “I previously believed that only a partner’s gender ideology would influence this. The combination of both a man’s income and previous traditional beliefs of both spouses creates the strongest tendency towards traditional gender roles among new parents.”
When considering the combined effect of spousal gender ideology and relative income, the study showed a nuanced picture. Wives were most likely to shift towards traditional gender views after childbirth if their husbands also held traditional views and earned more money. On the other hand, husbands were most likely to embrace more egalitarian views if their wives were egalitarian and if their own income was similar to or less than their wives’.
“It is also surprising to observe the significant potential for change in new fathers’ gender ideologies,” Zhou said. “When their wives hold egalitarian views and when the couple shares a relatively equal economic position, new fathers are more likely to adopt more egalitarian beliefs themselves.”
The findings indicate that “new mothers who marry partners with traditional gender beliefs and higher incomes may be more likely to adopt traditional gender roles themselves. Similarly, men who earn a higher income and marry someone with more traditional views may also lean towards adopting traditional gender ideologies.
But as with all research, there are some caveats. The measure of gender ideology used in the study focused primarily on work and family roles; future research could use broader measures to capture other dimensions of gender beliefs. In addition, the study was conducted in the United Kingdom, and the specific social and economic context of the UK, particularly regarding childcare, might influence the findings.
“The specific family context in the United Kingdom may be influencing this situation, as childcare is expensive and achieving a work-family balance can be challenging,” Zhou explained. “It remains more common that new mothers, compared to new fathers, will stay employed part-time right after the end of their maternal leave to meet the caring responsibilities.”
“As a significant life event, parenthood has a profound impact on our well-being and our understanding of ourselves and society. I hope more research will focus on this specific period to better understand the diverse and multidimensional aspects of its consequences.”
The study, “A longitudinal dyadic analysis of gender ideology during the transition into parenthood,” was authored by Yexin Zheng, Senhu Wang, and Muzhi Zhou.
