November 6, 2020

Work-Family Strategies during COVID-19: Examining Gender Dynamics among Dual-Earner Couples with Young Children

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Mental Health and Personal Impact

Keywords (Tags): mental health personal impact, public health

• In dual-earning opposite sex couples with young children, an “alternating day” strategy for childcare was associated with higher rates of individual well-being and job performance. A study of the childcare strategies for 274 dual-earner couples found that 37% used strategies where women did most or all childcare and 45% used egalitarian strategies. 133 couples were followed up 7 weeks later and asked to perform standard measures of wellbeing and job performance. The model termed the “remote wife does it all” was associated with the lowest rates of well-being and job performance.

Shockley et al. (Nov 5, 2020). Work-Family Strategies during COVID-19: Examining Gender Dynamics among Dual-Earner Couples with Young Children. Journal of Applied Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000857