The Gendered Transition to Parenthood: Lasting Inequalities in the Home and in the Labor Market
Title
The Gendered Transition to Parenthood: Lasting Inequalities in the Home and in the Labor Market
Author
Evertsson, Marie
Boye, Katarina
Research Area
Class, Status and Power
Topic
Gender and Gender Inequality
Abstract
We discuss the slow process through which the gendered transition to parenthood has changed in Western societies and the degrees to which this process challenges economic theories on the utility‐maximizing rational man, woman, and/or couple. The transition to parenthood has long‐term consequences for women's careers, often even in couples in which the woman earns more than the man. The reason for the slow‐changing process can partially be found in gender norms and the physical aspects of the transition to motherhood, including breastfeeding and norms regarding how long the child benefits from being in the mother's care. One of the challenges faced by research on the gendered transition to parenthood is how to distinguish where the boundaries between biology and gender norms lie. We discuss the gendered transition to parenthood and its career‐related consequences, and we elaborate on potential ways in which research may advance to dismantle the interconnected nature of biology, gender, and economic reasoning in couples' transition to parenthood.