Workshop "The 50/50 model - strategies for successful equal sharing of work in relationships"

When it comes to the division of labor in relationships and families, desire and reality often diverge. The 50/50 model is defined as an equal division of paid and unpaid work between the partners, i.e. in paid work, housework and childcare. Studies suggest a positive correlation between an equal division of labor and the mental and physical health of both women and men. Studies show that up to 40% of adults would like to have an equal division of labor, but in reality only a quarter of people actually implement it - so there are many who aspire to the 50/50 model but (for whatever reason) are unable to do so. In the workshop, we will address the question of which factors the implementation of the 50/50 model depends on and which strategies can be used to make it a success. We will present the results of our DREAMtalk qualitative interviews from a prospective cohort study.
The workshop offers plenty of opportunity for personal reflection, discussion and exchange of experiences. The workshop is in cooperation with the Centre for demography and diversity (CDD), which focuses on diversity, gender roles and equal opportunities and developed the workshop further. 

My name is Lydia Rihm, I am a psychologist (M. Sc.) and currently a doctoral student and research assistant in the field of women's and family health. My research focuses on how the division of labour within couples in transition to parenthood is related to their mental health and relationship satisfaction as well as long-term child development. I live in Hamburg and have a son (8 years old) who I am raising separately in the alternating model.

My name is Patricia Neutzner and I am a research assistant working on the long-term DREAM study at the TU Dresden. I am particularly interested in the quality of parent-child relationships in the context of various family- and work-related stress factors. I previously worked for over ten years in the Department of Neonatology at Dresden University Hospital, where I collaborated with an interprofessional team of nurses, doctors, psychologists and social-workers to develop new family-centred care services for premature and sick newborns. I am the mother of a son and a daughter, and I live with my husband and children in Dresden.

My name is Luise Hewerer, I am supporting the DREAM cohort study in Dresden as a research assistant (M.Sc. Public Health) and prospective doctoral student. I am investigating mental labor within families with young children and the gendered division of care work.