The determinants of how domestic work is allocated among partners are still the object of debate. On the one hand, theoretical perspectives drawing on economic frameworks posit a rational allocation of time among couple members. On the other hand, approaches drawing on normative and symbolic meanings associated with the gender division of labor argue in favor of a gendered allocation of time to domestic activities, which might be disproportionate to or independent from paid work. These two distinct approaches lead to competing expectations about the gender division of housework and childcare following changes in employment. Several existing studies have investigated the impact of working hours loss, job loss, unemployment, or retirement of one or both partners on housework and childcare activities, and especially on their division between couple members. Yet, existing research is heterogeneous in the type of data and methods adopted, and there is still no unambiguous answer as to whether gender disparities in the performance of domestic work widen or shrink conditional on a reduction in employment of the male or the female partner. Against this background, we ask how negative changes in paid work in the couple influence the woman’s share of unpaid work. We rely on the totality of existing literature on the topic and perform a systematic review and meta- analysis of publicly-available papers, chapters, and reports.