The Influence of Parenthood on the Work Effort of Married Men and Women

Abstract

While the effect ofparenthood on women's work has been well documented, little attention has been given to the potentially important link between work and parenthoodfor men. Two competing models offatherhood suggest opposite effects of having children on work activities. The good-provider model predicts that fathers will work more than nonfathers, while the involved-father model predicts thatfatherhood might encourage men to work less. We use data from the 1992-93 National Survey of Families and Households to examine the effect of parenthood on married men and women's employment and work hours. Findings indicate evidence for both models. No one doubts that women with young children tend to have work patterns that differ from those of their childless counterparts. Despite large increases in the labor-force participation of women with children since 1960, mothers are still less likely to work than nonmothers. And, among those who are employed, mothers average fewer work hours than nonmothers. There is a generally accepted explanation for these findings. Many mothers respond to the competing