No. 1534 - Can you do the dishes? Intra-household time use, labor supply and fertility
The birth of a child leads to an increase in housework for parents and a decrease in the time to devote to other activities, including formal work. As a result, women, who on average do more housework and childcare than men, may be less inclined to have children, also because of the negative consequences this might have for their careers. The paper uses data on Italy to estimate a life-cycle model of housework, employment, and fertility.
Men's contribution to housework amounts to less than one third of women's. Rebalancing the domestic workload between men and women would significantly increase female employment, but would have uncertain effects on fertility rates because it would raise the opportunity cost of having children for men. The possibility of outsourcing part of childcare, for example through the availability of nursery schools, would also increase fertility rates.
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17 June 2026
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