How do parents share childcare that interferes with paid work? Work arrangements, flexible working and childcare

Childcare encompasses a range of diverse tasks, yet is persistently gendered, with women doing more than men, regardless of work arrangements. Flexible working can exacerbate childcare inequalities among working couples, but less is known about how flexible working is associated with the gender division of childcare tasks that directly interfere with the workday.

A new journal article, authored by CPC and CG members Dr Bernice Kuang, Professor Brienna Perelli-Harris and Professor Ann Berrington, used UK Generations and Gender Survey data to study heterosexual couples with children under the age of 12. Logistic regression was used to analyse the gender division of specific childcare tasks and associations with work arrangements (i.e. dual earner, male/female breadwinner, and less than full-time work) and work flexibility.

The study found that childcare tasks that interfere with the workday, such as staying home with ill children, getting children dressed, and dropping children off at school or childcare, are particularly gendered. Fathers working from home or with access to flexible hours were associated with a higher likelihood of equally sharing these tasks; the same relationship was not found for mothers. The study concluded that fathers’ access to and use of flexible working may help to address one persistent form of gender inequality.

Read the full article published in the Journal of Marriage and Family: 'How do parents share childcare that interferes with paid work? Work arrangements, flexible working, and childcare'.

The findings were also reported in The Times: ‘Flexible hours ‘trap’ mothers into doing more parenting’.

Posted 04/07/2025 07:59