Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Title: Can Work from Home Help Balance the Parental Division of Labor?
Author-Name: Hans-Martin von Gaudecker
Author-Email: hmgaudecker@uni-bonn.de
Author-Name: Radost Holler
Author-Email: 
Author-Name: Lenard Simon
Author-Email: 
Author-Name: Christian Pugnaghi-Zimpelmann
Author-Email: zimpelmann@iza.org 
Classification-JEL: J13, J16, J22
Keywords: job flexibility, remote work, childcare, division of labor, time-use data

Abstract: Remote work expanded persistently after the Covid-19 pandemic. We study whether
this increased job flexibility reduced within-household specialization in the Netherlands,
where the pandemic’s childcare demand spike was transitory, isolating remote work’s
effect. Using time-use and administrative data from 2016–2023 and a difference-in-differences
design exploiting pre-pandemic remote work potential, we find each additional hour of
potential raised parental childcare by about 10 minutes. As fathers have higher potential,
the childcare gender gap narrowed by one-third. Mothers also increased market work
when fathers could work from home. Thus, remote work can promote more equitable
household labor division.

Note: 
Length: 23
Creation-Date: 2025-03
Revision-Date: 2026-03
File-URL: https://www.crctr224.de/research/discussion-papers/archive/dp661
File-Format: application/pdf
Handle: RePEc:bon:boncrc:CRCTR224_2025_661v2