Gendered Occupation and Housework Time in Different-Sex and Same-Sex Couples

• In Event: 50261 - Family Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 11: LGBTQ+ Families

Abstract

This article revisits the association between gendered occupation and housework. Prior studies predominantly linked occupational gender composition to the housework time of different-sex couples, finding some supports for gender theories including gender conventionality and gender deviance neutralization. We advance the literature by exploring variations across same- and different-sex couples and through new measures of gendered occupation. Same-sex couples provide a unique case to test this association as sexual minorities are more likely to work in gender-atypical occupations and face weaker gender norms in dividing housework. Merging American Time Use Survey (2003-2023) with occupation-level data from the Occupation Information Network (O*Net) and the American Community Survey (ACS), we measured gendered occupation characteristics through the percentage of female workers and the levels of occupational skills in authority, autonomy, relationships, among others. We predicted female- and male-typed housework time using varied forms of occupation feminization (linear, parabolic, categorical) in linear regression models. Preliminary analyses suggested that, after controlling for partner employment, work hour, household income, and socio-demographics, higher occupation feminization was associated increased female-typed housework time among women and men in different-sex couples. Findings on same-sex couples are inconclusive. The article provides new evidence on the important ways through which gender and sexuality structure the linkage between work and family.

Authors

• Haoming Song, Case Western Reserve University

• Jisu Park, Pennsylvania State University

• Elena Maria Pojman, Pennsylvania State University