Gender equality and outsourcing of domestic work, childbearing, and relationship stability among British couples

Summary

This study investigates whether gender inequality in the division of
housework and child care may be an obstacle to childbearing and
relationship stability among different groups of British couples.
Furthermore, it explores whether outsourcing of domestic labor
ameliorates any negative effects of domestic work inequality. The
empirical investigation uses event-history analysis based on 14 waves
(1992-2005) of the British Household Panel Study.
The author finds that the association between domestic work arrangements
and family outcomes vary by the presence of children, women's
employment, and gender role attitudes. Gender inequality in domestic
work reduces relationship stability among egalitarian childless women
and among all mothers. For first and second births as outcomes, the
association is weaker and depends on the level of inequality and women's
employment status, respectively. Domestic outsourcing is not
significant for these family outcomes!
with the exception of formal child care, which is positively
associated with the risk of a second birth.