Full Citation
Title: The Relationship between Economic Downturns and the Proportion of Stay-at-Home Father Households
Citation Type: Conference Paper
Publication Year: 2011
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Abstract: We relate trends in the proportions of stay-at-home father households with macroeconomic fluctuations and change in social norms regarding gender roles. Specifically, we suggest that during an economic downturn, stay-at-home father households become more prevalent; male spouses lose their job and female spouses become the sole earners of a household. Once the labor market recovers and unemployment rates decline, the proportion of stay-at-home father households also declines, but stays above pre-economic downturn levels. Thus, labor market conditions are associated with changes in division of household work. We test this proposition using CPS data from 1976-2009. We find an association between increased unemployment levelsand the proportion of stay-at-home father households. In addition, each recession is associated with a boost in the proportion of stay-at-home father households in the population. Finally, the increase in stay-at-home father households is driven by an increase in both fathers who stay at home to take care of children and fathers who stay at home for other reasons, mostly inability to work or find work.
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Authors: Kramer, Amit; Kramer, Karen Z.
Conference Name: Population Association of America
Publisher Location: Washington, D.C.
Data Collections: IPUMS CPS
Topics: Family and Marriage, Other
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