The clash between work and family: impact of division of labor on fertility in Taiwan

This study analyzes how income, housework, and family life satisfaction impact fertility behaviors in an industrialized yet traditionally gendered society of Taiwan. Using six waves of longitudinal data from Taiwan’s Panel Study of Family Dynamics, 2011–2020 (N = 742 and 3,628 person-year observations), we conducted latent class analysis to classify marriages into four types and applied logistic event-history analysis to examine the effects of household type, income, housework, and family life satisfaction on fertility. Our findings align with a modified exchange theory: fertility is highest in traditional male-breadwinner households, where husbands contribute a larger share of income. Conversely, egalitarian marriages characterized by a more equal distribution of income and housework are not associated with elevated fertility, inconsistent with the gender equity theory. Furthermore, women’s satisfaction with family life does not predict higher fertility, contradicting family systems theory. These results underscore the persistent influence of traditional gender roles on fertility in Taiwan, suggesting that the progression of the Second Demographic Transition in non-Western contexts is continually shaped by resilient patriarchal norms in the second half of the gender revolution.