Couples' changing work patterns in the United Kingdom and the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT: Going beyond a focus on individual-level employment outcomes, we investigate couples' changing work patterns in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyzing longitudinal panels of 2186 couples from the Understanding Society COVID-19 Survey (UK) and 2718 couples from the Current Population Survey (US), we assess whether the pandemic has elevated the importance of human capital vis-à-vis traditional gender specialization in shaping couples' work patterns. The UK witnessed a notable increase in sole-worker families with the better-educated partner working, irrespective of gender. The impact of the pandemic was similar but weaker in the US. In both countries, couples at the bottom 25% of the prepandemic family income distribution experienced the gr

SUBMITTER: Qian Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8250666 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature