The Gendered Division of Routine Housework and Couples’ Sexual Relationships: A Re-Examination

• In Event: 184 - Regular Session. Marriage, Civil Unions, and Cohabitation

Abstract

Gender norms surrounding the household division of labor are often thought of as fairly entrenched. However, contemporary men and women increasingly express preferences for egalitarian relationships. Creating such relationships, though, is often quite difficult, and equality in the household division of labor may affect other aspects of the relationship. One recent high profile study (Kornrich, Brines, and Leupp 2013), for example, found that couples who had a more equal division of labor had sex less frequently than couples whose division of domestic labor was more traditional. The data utilized in this research, however, was over two decades old. Here, we utilize data from the 2006 Marital and Relationship Survey (MARS) to update and extend this past work. We find no significant differences in sexual frequency between couples who equally divide the routine housework and those who report that the female partner shoulders most of the burden. Furthermore, couples with egalitarian divisions of domestic labor are more satisfied with their sexual frequency. Couples where the male partner does the majority of the housework, however, report the least frequent sex, are the least satisfied with the frequency of intercourse, and argue more about sex than couples with egalitarian or traditional divisions. Our results suggest that couples are content to modify conventional housework arrangements, but that reversing them entirely can be detrimental to other aspects of the relationship.

Authors

• Sharon L. Sassler, Cornell University

• Daniel L. Carlson, Georgia State University

• Amanda Jayne Miller, University of Indianapolis

• Sarah Hanson, Northern Illinois University