Did Descriptive and Prescriptive Norms About Gender Equality at Home Change During the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Cross-National Investigation

Franziska Magdalena Saxler; Angela R. Dorrough; Laura Froehlich; Katharina Block; Alyssa Croft; Loes Meeussen; Maria Olsson; Toni Schmader; Carolin Schuster; Sanne van Grootel; Colette Van Laar; Ciara Atkinson; Tessa Benson-Greenwald; Andreea Birneanu; Vladimira Cavojova; Sapna Cheryan; Albert Lee Kai Chung; Ivan Danyliuk; Ilan Dar-Nimrod; Soledad de Lemus; Amanda Diekman; Léïla Eisner; Lucía Estevan-Reina; Denisa Fedáková; Alin Gavreliuc; Dana Gavreliuc; Adriana Germano; Tabea Hässler; Levke Henningsen; Keiko Ishii; Eva Kundtová Klocová; Inna Kozytska; Clara Kulich; Christina Lapytskaia Aidy; Wilson López López; James Morandini; Tamil Selvan Ramis; Carolin Scheifele; Jennifer Steele; Melanie C. Steffens; Laura María Velásquez Díaz; Mar Venegas; Sarah E. Martiny

doi:10.1177/01461672231219719

Did Descriptive and Prescriptive Norms About Gender Equality at Home Change During the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Cross-National Investigation

Franziska Magdalena Saxler, Angela R. Dorrough, Laura Froehlich, Katharina Block, Alyssa Croft, Loes Meeussen, Maria Olsson, Toni Schmader, Carolin Schuster, Sanne van Grootel, Colette Van Laar, Ciara Atkinson, Tessa Benson-Greenwald, Andreea Birneanu, Vladimira Cavojova, Sapna Cheryan, Albert Lee Kai Chung, Ivan Danyliuk, Ilan Dar-Nimrod, Soledad de LemusAmanda Diekman, Léïla Eisner, Lucía Estevan-Reina, Denisa Fedáková, Alin Gavreliuc, Dana Gavreliuc, Adriana Germano, Tabea Hässler, Levke Henningsen, Keiko Ishii, Eva Kundtová Klocová, Inna Kozytska, Clara Kulich, Christina Lapytskaia Aidy, Wilson López López, James Morandini, Tamil Selvan Ramis, Carolin Scheifele, Jennifer Steele, Melanie C. Steffens, Laura María Velásquez Díaz, Mar Venegas, Sarah E. Martiny

Psychology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Using data from 15 countries, this article investigates whether descriptive and prescriptive gender norms concerning housework and child care (domestic work) changed after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results of a total of 8,343 participants (M = 19.95, SD = 1.68) from two comparable student samples suggest that descriptive norms about unpaid domestic work have been affected by the pandemic, with individuals seeing mothers’ relative to fathers’ share of housework and child care as even larger. Moderation analyses revealed that the effect of the pandemic on descriptive norms about child care decreased with countries’ increasing levels of gender equality; countries with stronger gender inequality showed a larger difference between pre- and post-pandemic. This study documents a shift in descriptive norms and discusses implications for gender equality—emphasizing the importance of addressing the additional challenges that mothers face during health-related crises.

Original language	English (US)
Journal	Personality and social psychology bulletin
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672231219719
State	Accepted/In press - 2024

Keywords

COVID-19
cross-national comparison
descriptive gender norms
domestic work
gender stereotypes
prescriptive gender norms
work-family division

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Social Psychology

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10.1177/01461672231219719

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Saxler, F. M., Dorrough, A. R., Froehlich, L., Block, K., Croft, A., Meeussen, L., Olsson, M., Schmader, T., Schuster, C., van Grootel, S., Van Laar, C., Atkinson, C., Benson-Greenwald, T., Birneanu, A., Cavojova, V., Cheryan, S., Lee Kai Chung, A., Danyliuk, I., Dar-Nimrod, I., ... Martiny, S. E. (Accepted/In press). Did Descriptive and Prescriptive Norms About Gender Equality at Home Change During the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Cross-National Investigation. Personality and social psychology bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672231219719

Saxler, FM, Dorrough, AR, Froehlich, L, Block, K, Croft, A, Meeussen, L, Olsson, M, Schmader, T, Schuster, C, van Grootel, S, Van Laar, C, Atkinson, C, Benson-Greenwald, T, Birneanu, A, Cavojova, V, Cheryan, S, Lee Kai Chung, A, Danyliuk, I, Dar-Nimrod, I, de Lemus, S, Diekman, A, Eisner, L, Estevan-Reina, L, Fedáková, D, Gavreliuc, A, Gavreliuc, D, Germano, A, Hässler, T, Henningsen, L, Ishii, K, Kundtová Klocová, E, Kozytska, I, Kulich, C, Lapytskaia Aidy, C, López López, W, Morandini, J, Ramis, TS, Scheifele, C, Steele, J, Steffens, MC, Velásquez Díaz, LM, Venegas, M & Martiny, SE 2024, 'Did Descriptive and Prescriptive Norms About Gender Equality at Home Change During the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Cross-National Investigation', Personality and social psychology bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672231219719

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abstract = "Using data from 15 countries, this article investigates whether descriptive and prescriptive gender norms concerning housework and child care (domestic work) changed after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results of a total of 8,343 participants (M = 19.95, SD = 1.68) from two comparable student samples suggest that descriptive norms about unpaid domestic work have been affected by the pandemic, with individuals seeing mothers{\textquoteright} relative to fathers{\textquoteright} share of housework and child care as even larger. Moderation analyses revealed that the effect of the pandemic on descriptive norms about child care decreased with countries{\textquoteright} increasing levels of gender equality; countries with stronger gender inequality showed a larger difference between pre- and post-pandemic. This study documents a shift in descriptive norms and discusses implications for gender equality—emphasizing the importance of addressing the additional challenges that mothers face during health-related crises.",

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AU - Saxler, Franziska Magdalena

AU - Dorrough, Angela R.

AU - Froehlich, Laura

AU - Block, Katharina

AU - Croft, Alyssa

AU - Meeussen, Loes

AU - Olsson, Maria

AU - Schmader, Toni

AU - Schuster, Carolin

AU - van Grootel, Sanne

AU - Van Laar, Colette

AU - Atkinson, Ciara

AU - Benson-Greenwald, Tessa

AU - Birneanu, Andreea

AU - Cavojova, Vladimira

AU - Cheryan, Sapna

AU - Lee Kai Chung, Albert

AU - Danyliuk, Ivan

AU - Dar-Nimrod, Ilan

AU - de Lemus, Soledad

AU - Diekman, Amanda

AU - Eisner, Léïla

AU - Estevan-Reina, Lucía

AU - Fedáková, Denisa

AU - Gavreliuc, Alin

AU - Gavreliuc, Dana

AU - Germano, Adriana

AU - Hässler, Tabea

AU - Henningsen, Levke

AU - Ishii, Keiko

AU - Kundtová Klocová, Eva

AU - Kozytska, Inna

AU - Kulich, Clara

AU - Lapytskaia Aidy, Christina

AU - López López, Wilson

AU - Morandini, James

AU - Ramis, Tamil Selvan

AU - Scheifele, Carolin

AU - Steele, Jennifer

AU - Steffens, Melanie C.

AU - Velásquez Díaz, Laura María

AU - Venegas, Mar

AU - Martiny, Sarah E.

PY - 2024

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AB - Using data from 15 countries, this article investigates whether descriptive and prescriptive gender norms concerning housework and child care (domestic work) changed after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results of a total of 8,343 participants (M = 19.95, SD = 1.68) from two comparable student samples suggest that descriptive norms about unpaid domestic work have been affected by the pandemic, with individuals seeing mothers’ relative to fathers’ share of housework and child care as even larger. Moderation analyses revealed that the effect of the pandemic on descriptive norms about child care decreased with countries’ increasing levels of gender equality; countries with stronger gender inequality showed a larger difference between pre- and post-pandemic. This study documents a shift in descriptive norms and discusses implications for gender equality—emphasizing the importance of addressing the additional challenges that mothers face during health-related crises.

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KW - descriptive gender norms

KW - domestic work

KW - gender stereotypes

KW - prescriptive gender norms

KW - work-family division

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JO - Personality and social psychology bulletin

JF - Personality and social psychology bulletin

ER -

Did Descriptive and Prescriptive Norms About Gender Equality at Home Change During the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Cross-National Investigation

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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