17. How Same-sex Couples’ Market Earnings Influence the Amount of Time They Perform Housework. A Time-Use Approach.

• In Event: 408 - Visual Media Poster Presentation

Abstract

The study looks into how earnings share of same-sex couples, first, as a bargaining resource and second, as a way to conform to or not to conform to hetero-gendered norms, could possibly affect the way couples do gender through performance or avoidance of housework? As we know from previous studies that there is a curvilinear association between heterosexual couples’ earnings share and their housework time as a response to hetero-gendered meaning systems surrounding work-family arrangements, the study finds no association between market earnings share of same-sex couples (N=209) and their housework time by drawing on the data from the 2003 to 2013 waves of the American Time Use Survey (ATUS). The result remains the same even when I control for total couple earnings, usual work hours, educational years, and age. Comparing to the curvilinear relationship of heterosexual couples, the results help to conclude that females of heterosexual couple households are the only group whose housework time is always affected by their earnings share. These results imply that females of heterosexual couple households are more likely to be influenced by the hetero-gendered norms surrounding work-family arrangements, while males of heterosexual couple households and respondents of same-sex couple households (N=209) are less likely to be influenced. Different from previous studies, the study shows no association between earnings share of same-sex couples and their housework time. It suggests that earnings share of same-sex couples does not influence the ways couples do gender through performance of housework.

Author

• Wen-Ling Kung, State University of New York-Albany