Institute and Policlinic of Occupational and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, DREAM Studie, Technische Universität Dresden, Fetscherstraße 74, 01307, Dresden, Germany.
Institute for Systems Medicine (ISM), Faculty of Medicine, Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
BMC Public Health. 2024 Aug 14;24(1):2215. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-19646-9.
Many young couples are planning to share paid work, childcare, and housework equally between each other. But implementing such a 50/50-split-model is difficult and parents often return to traditional gender role distributions after the birth of a child. This return has potential negative effects on mental health, physical health, and relationship satisfaction. Therefore, this study aims to find practicable strategies on a behavioral-level which new parents can apply in their daily routine to successfully implement the 50/50-split-model if they wish to do so.
This qualitative study, DREAM, is part of the multi-method, prospective Dresden Study on Parenting, Work, and Mental Health (DREAM). For DREAM, N = 25 parents implementing a 50/50-split-model were selected based on quantitative data regarding time use, which participants had provided in questionnaires. In DREAM, problem-centered interviews were conducted with the selected sample at 17 months postpartum. Those were analyzed via qualitative content analysis, which is systematic, rule-guided, and based on the criteria of validity and reliability.
The qualitative content analysis revealed a catalog of 38 practicable strategies to manage daily routine, which can help parents to successfully implement a 50/50-split-model. Individual participants used 23 success strategies on average. Examples include having a regular coordination appointment with the other parent, planning foresightedly, flexibility, reducing cleaning, optimization of routes, or moderate split-shift parenting. Some of these strategies seem opposing, e.g., planning foresightedly, and at the same time, meeting unpredicted changes with flexibility. Those seemingly opposing strategies were well balanced by the participants, which was an additional strategy.
Parents can use the success strategies relatively independently of external circumstances. This behavioral perspective extends prior theories, which have focused on explaining unequal gender role distributions with external circumstances. A behavioral perspective can be a gateway to assist more parents to pioneer in implementing the 50/50-split-model, which might in turn lead to a healthier and more satisfied public population.
许多年轻夫妇计划平等分担有偿工作、育儿和家务。但实施这种 50/50 分工模式很困难，父母在孩子出生后往往会回归传统的性别角色分配。这种回归对心理健康、身体健康和关系满意度都有潜在的负面影响。因此，本研究旨在找到可行的行为策略，让新父母在日常生活中应用这些策略，如果他们愿意的话，可以成功实施 50/50 分工模式。
这是一项定性研究，DREAM 是多方法、前瞻性德累斯顿育儿、工作和心理健康研究（DREAM）的一部分。根据参与者在问卷中提供的时间使用定量数据，DREAM 从实施 50/50 分工模式的 25 对父母中选择了 N = 25 对父母。在 DREAM 中，对选定的样本在产后 17 个月进行了以问题为中心的访谈。这些访谈通过定性内容分析进行分析，该分析是系统的、基于规则的，并基于有效性和可靠性标准。
定性内容分析揭示了 38 种可行的管理日常生活的策略目录，这些策略可以帮助父母成功实施 50/50 分工模式。个体参与者平均使用 23 种成功策略。例如，与另一位家长定期协调约会、提前计划、灵活性、减少清洁、优化路线或适度分工育儿。其中一些策略似乎相互矛盾，例如，提前计划和同时灵活应对不可预测的变化。参与者很好地平衡了这些看似矛盾的策略，这是另一种策略。
父母可以相对独立于外部环境使用成功策略。这种行为视角扩展了之前的理论，这些理论侧重于用外部环境来解释不平等的性别角色分配。行为视角可以成为帮助更多父母开创实施 50/50 分工模式的途径，这反过来可能会导致更健康、更满意的公众群体。
