Division of labor in child care: A game-theoretic approach

Angela Vierling-Claassen

Rationality and Society, 2013, vol. 25, issue 2, 198-228

Abstract: This paper uses a game of repeated play to model parental child care in order to examine the gap between the expectations of egalitarian-minded couples before the transition to parenthood and the reality of parenthood, with its gendered roles. This is done first in a gender-free context in order to examine the mechanism by which the division of labor is established in a family – it is this same process through which gendered expectations have an impact. The analysis shows that it is difficult to achieve the equilibrium of equal sharing of child care, even when this is the preference of the parents. This leads to a discussion of alterations and meta-strategies for couples who want to share care equally. Gender differences between parents are also modeled, including the impact these have on outcomes and equilibria.

Keywords: Child care; labor division in families; family work; game theory; gender; parental time; time use (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:ratsoc:v:25:y:2013:i:2:p:198-228

DOI: 10.1177/1043463112473795

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