Resilient together

Living Lab 2 on “Resilient together” focuses on pregnant women and their partners.

This research is conducted at one of the largest tipping points in the development of women’s economic resilience: the arrival of the first child. Often, this is the time when (un)paid labor is redistributed in such a way that women work less, while men continue to work the same amount. This pattern persists throughout life, leaving many women economically dependent on their partner. Equal involvement of mothers and fathers predicts a warmer and qualitatively better upbringing, higher quality of the relationship, and a higher well-being for both parents.

In this project, getting input from (expecting) parents, midwives and employers, we examine how fathers’ involvement during and after the pregnancy can be facilitated. Additionally, an intervention is developed for and tested on couples who are expecting their first child, offering tools to start a ‘kitchen table’ conversation about the division of (un)paid labor. The goal of the intervention is to 1) provide couples with skills to be able to have a good conversation with each other and with their employers and 2) to minimize the role of societal expectations about what a man or woman is supposed to do in the redistribution of (un)paid labor.