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Transitions to Parenthood

Work-Family Policies, Gender, and the Couple Context

Singley Associates, New Zealand, susan_singley{at}clear.net.nz

Kathryn Hynes

Cornell University

Can work-family policies promote greater gender equity in family roles? Using interviews with couples from upstate New York, we examine the role of work-family policies in the decisions dual-earner married couples make about paid work during the transition to parenthood. During the period immediately around a birth, differences in mothers’ and fathers’ access to paid time off from work interacted with their parenting role ideologies to influence gender differences in paid work arrangements. After the initial transition, employed women used and created more flexibility in their work arrangements than their husbands, often reducing their husbands’ need to use available work-family policies.

Key Words: transition to parenthood • work-family policy • gender roles • couples • women’s employment

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