Does parenthood change implicit gender-role stereotypes and behaviors?

Abstract

This study examined whether parenthood changes gender-role behavior and implicit gender-role stereotypes as assessed with an Implicit Association Test in Dutch parents. In a cross-sectional sample, parents were found to have more traditional gender-role stereotypes than nonparents with a wish to have a child and nonparents without the wish to have a child. This suggests that gender-role stereotypes increase after the transition into parenthood. In a longitudinal sample, parents were followed for 4 years after the first birthday of their youngest child. The authors found that implicit gender-role stereotypes and behavior became increasingly traditional over time in most parents, except for the following two groups: (a) Fathers with highly traditional gender-role stereotypes did not show change over time and (b) older, highly educated mothers who worked relatively many hours outside the home and who had an egalitarian task division at home, remained egalitarian in their gender-role stereotypes over time.