Uncovering the Choreography of Life: the Impact of Life Transitions on Gendered Housework Patterns

In this paper, we investigate changes in time allocated to routine housework around four life events - cohabitation, marriage, first birth, and divorce - to explore the influence of social norms on gendered housework patterns. Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (1991-2019), a timing-based event study design reveals that gender differences intensify with cohabitation and parenthood. Women's housework hours increase significantly with the first child, while men's decrease. Marriage has no additional impact beyond cohabitation, and divorce leads to a rise in men's and a reduction in women's housework. Couples with higher-earning women and those in East Germany show weaker adherence to these social roles.