The Gender Revolution Revisited: Couples’ Shared Gender Egalitarian Attitudes and Their Distinct Relationships with the Probability and Timing of Parenthood

Gender revolution theory posits that, in contexts with high female labor participation, couples sharing domestic work equally will (desire to) have more children. However, empirical findings at the micro level have been mixed. We propose three reasons why prior research has been inconclusive: (1) a tendency to treat gender attitudes or practices as a single continuum, rather than multidimensionally; (2) insufficient attention to partner’s shared attitudes; and (3) empirical approaches that conflate timing and quantum. We propose a refined approach that considers how shared gender egalitarian attitudes toward work divisions, female careers, and child-welfare are differentially related to the quantum versus timing of fertility. Using cure models and data from Germany, we show that couples’ shared gender egalitarian attitudes regarding domestic work, career support, and child welfare have distinct relationships with the occurrence and timing of first births. We find no evidence of higher probability of first births among couples who shared egalitarian attitudes regarding domestic work, career support, child welfare, or all three domains. However, egalitarian couples regarding domestic work and career support have later first births. Our results underscore the importance of (1) differentiated measurements of gender attitudes, and (2) considering quantum and timing as affected separately.