Housework among same-sex and different-sex couples

The roles of time and earnings

Bibliographic Data

ID2287417
AuthorsJocelyn Fischer (0000-0002-8229-8511, Department of Labor Studies and Employment Relations Rutgers University New Brunswick New Jersey USA, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume86
Issue4
Pages867-886
Publication date2024-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Marriage and the Family (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-2445 • E-ISSN: 1741-3737
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/jomf.12990
OpenAlexW4394611877
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited50

ObjectiveThis study examined how paid work time and earnings are related to time spent in various types of housework tasks among people in same-sex couples (SSCs) and how these relationships differ from those among people in different-sex couples (DSCs).BackgroundPrior research on housework among people in SSCs mostly relied on convenience samples and self-report measures of housework. These methods may have drawbacks related to the selectivity of the samples and the accuracy of the housework measures. Specifically, SSCs might try to portray their housework divisions as more equal than they actually are.MethodThe current study used nationally representative, time diary data from the American Time Use Survey (N = 50,899) to estimate the relationships between paid work time, earnings, and time spent in various types of housework tasks (feminine, masculine, and gender-neutral tasks) among people in SSCs and DSCs.ResultsPaid work time was related to housework time among both men and women in SSCs, but earnings were only related to housework among men in SSCs. Furthermore, some associations between paid work characteristics and housework were stronger among men in SSCs compared with men in DSCs. Among women, the pattern of couple-type differences in the associations of interest was more nuanced.ConclusionUsing high-quality, nationally representative data, the results point to a greater level of specialization of paid work and housework responsibilities among people in SSCs relative to people in DSCs than has previously been observed in the bulk of the literature

Demographic economics · Earnings · Economics · Sociology · Accounting · Demography · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics · Psychology · Work-Family Balance Challenges

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