This study investigates whether the expansion of public childcare in Germany has been associated with an individual-level change in parents’ gender ideologies. We extend the literature by developing and testing a theoretical framework of the short-term impact of family policy institutions on attitude change over the life course. The analysis links the German Family Panel pair-fam (2008 to 2015) with administrative records on childcare provision at county-level and applies fixed-effects panel models. Our findings show that the childcare expansion has been associated with moderate changes towards less traditional gender ideologies only among mothers in West Germany and mostly so among mothers without a college degree. Surprisingly, in East Germany, we found tentative evidence of more traditional gender ideologies among mothers without a college degree as the childcare reform unfolded. The results provide evidence that policy reforms may alter gender ideologies also in the short-term over the life course.
Public Childcare Expansion and Changing Gender Ideologies of Parents in Germany
