Gender and the Division of Household Labor Among Same-Sex Couples

• In Event: 308 - Section on Sociology of Sex and Gender Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 08. Gender, Work and Family: Session I

Abstract

This study uses high-quality, nationally representative data to examine the role of gender in the division of household labor among same-sex couples. Results point toward greater equality in the division of labor among same-sex couples compared with opposite-sex couples, though men in same-sex couples might be more willing to specialize in either paid or unpaid work than women in same-sex couples, which might reflect a greater commitment to egalitarianism among women in same-sex couples. In relation to past work, this study confirms that findings of greater egalitarianism in the division of household labor among same-sex couples from past studies are generalizable to the larger population of same-sex couples in the United States and contributes the new finding that men in same-sex couples might be more willing to specialize than women in same-sex couples.

Author

• Jocelyn Fischer, Cornell University