Working Toward Parenthood: Employment and First Births Among Different-Sex Couples in the United States

Abstract

Objective

Given the joint nature of fertility processes, this study evaluates the relationship between couples' employment characteristics and their transition to parenthood in the US.

Background

The rise of dual-earning couples suggests progress toward gender egalitarianism. However, gendered imbalances in household responsibilities persist. Investigating whether couples with gender-traditional or gender-egalitarian arrangements are more likely to become parents offers insights into contemporary gender dynamics and the selection process into parenthood.

Methods

Using data on 22,314 different-sex coresidential couples' employment from the 2013–2019 Current Population Survey and their occupational characteristics from the O*NET, I estimate the average marginal effect of his and her employment status, employment investments, and job demands on couples' transition to parenthood.

Results

Dual-earning couples were the most likely to transition to parenthood, even net of earnings. Among dual-earners, there were pronounced gender differences in the employment characteristics associated with fertility. Men's full-time employment was strongly and consistently associated with transitioning to parenthood. Couples in which women worked in jobs with greater time pressure than their partners were less likely to become parents.

Conclusion

Although dual-earning arrangements suggest progress toward egalitarianism, gendered differences in the relationship between employment and fertility persist, highlighting the persistent nature of breadwinning norms for men. These findings underscore the selection processes into parenthood and shed light on how gender inequality emerges and is reinforced across the transition to parenthood.