Gender Role Attitudes and Labour Market Behaviours: Do Attitudes Contribute to Gender Differences in Employment in Germany?

This article contributes to the literature on persistent gender inequalities in the labour market by investigating gender role attitudes in Germany and their association with labour market behaviour. Based on the German Panel Study 'Labour Market and Social Security' (PASS), longitudinal analyses are applied to examine the influence of gender role attitudes and the household context on various employment states. The results reveal that gender role attitudes are crucial for labour market behaviour and that there are differences among women and men in different household contexts. Whereas single men and women do not differ significantly in their employment probabilities, women in couple households are less active in the labour market than their male counterparts. Furthermore, differences in employment are largest in couples with children. Among women, differences in full-time employment by household context become smaller when these women hold egalitarian attitudes.

Automated summary

This article contributes to the literature on gender inequalities in the labour market by examining gender role attitudes in Germany and their impact on labour market behavior, particularly in different household contexts. The results highlight the importance of gender role attitudes in shaping labor market behavior and reveal significant differences between men and women in different household contexts, with the largest disparities observed in couples with children.