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Childcare, work or worries? What explains the decline in parents' well-being at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany?
[journal article]
Abstract Objective: We examine how care arrangements, general and altered working conditions, and worries influenced subjective well-being at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic for working parents in Germany. Background: Prior research suggests several reasons for declines in subjective well-being, particula... view more
Objective: We examine how care arrangements, general and altered working conditions, and worries influenced subjective well-being at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic for working parents in Germany. Background: Prior research suggests several reasons for declines in subjective well-being, particularly for working mothers. We employ Pearlin's (1989) stress process model to explore the role of parental childcare, altered working conditions and amplified worries of working parents in terms of increased stressors and modified resources to cope with the extraordinary situation. Method: We use data from two starting cohorts from the National Educational Panel Study and its supplementary COVID-19 web survey from spring 2020 to examine possible heterogeneities in contextual factors for individual-level changes in the well-being of working mothers and fathers. Results: We confirm a more pronounced decline in well-being for working mothers than fathers. Part-time work and access to emergency care reduce the gender gap in decreased well-being. Conversely, young children in the household and personal worries are associated with lower well-being for both parents. However, we cannot explain the more significant decrease in mothers' well-being by increased childcare responsibilities or altered working conditions. Conclusion: A greater decline in well-being indicates a particular burden among working mothers. However, it cannot be linked solely to gendered inequalities in the changes of paid and unpaid work during the first months of the pandemic.... view less
Keywords
microcensus; epidemic; contagious disease; child care; division of labor; satisfaction with life; Federal Republic of Germany; well-being; working conditions; parents; working woman
Classification
Family Sociology, Sociology of Sexual Behavior
Women's Studies, Feminist Studies, Gender Studies
Free Keywords
Corona; Covid-19; Corona-Virus; NEPS-C; Mikrozensus 2019
Document language
English
Publication Year
2022
Page/Pages
p. 310-332
Journal
JFR - Journal of Family Research, 34 (2022) 1
Issue topic
Family lives during the COVID-19 pandemic in European societies
DOI
https://doi.org/10.20377/jfr-707
ISSN
2699-2337
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed