Gendered Occupational Shifts in the Transition to Parenthood: The Influence of Personal Networks

Abstract

This article investigates the influence of personal networks on changes of occupational rates of men and women becoming parents. It discusses and measures the effects of various interconnected dimensions of network structures and compositions, such as density, degree of overlap between partners’ networks, geographical distance between network members, and types of relations (family, friendship, or others). A set of longitudinal analyses on 235 couples becoming parents in Switzerland shows that for women, higher density in emotional support triggers a reduction in occupational rates once the first child is born, while for men, a higher density in practical support is associated with an increase of occupational rates, with a resulting increase of gender inequalities in the division of paid labour. Results are valid both for intended changes and for changes observed in the transition, and they hold when controlling for parents’ educational level, income and personal values about gender equality.

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