Does parenthood impact the household division of labour less than before?

Ragni Hege Kitterød, Institute for Social Research, Oslo
Marit Rønsen, Statistics Norway

The presence of children still tends to reinforce a traditional division of labour in couples in many countries. This paper explores possible changes in the relationship between parenthood and the division of labour in Norway from 1980 to 2010 – a period with considerable changes in men’s and women’s time use and the implementation of several work-family policy reforms. Parenthood intensified the division of labour less in 2010 than in 1980, but there is no linear time trend. In 2010, only parents with very young children (0-1 years) had a more gendered division of paid work than those with no resident children, and even for this group, the difference was more modest than previously. As for household work, the presence of children in most age groups still implies a more traditional division of labour, although less so than before.