Gender differences in the division of labour have been extensively examined. Large gender-based discrepancies in the performance of domestic labour persist, even under relational and societal conditions where there is greater economic equality (Fuwa, 2004; Presser, 1994; Van der Lippe et al, 2018), and there is some evidence to suggest that this unequal division has tangible negative outcomes for people (e.g., greater likelihood of divorce and poorer marital happiness, Frisco & Williams, 2003; poorer mental health, Ross et al, 1983; lower life satisfaction, Lewis & Cooper, 1988). The current study adopts a dyadic perspective to assess gender differences in the performance and outcomes of domestic labour within specific couples (compared to between-group comparisons across samples of individuals) in a unique context in which parents were at home with their children in mandated nationwide lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Expanding prior research examining the outcomes of division of labour (which are rare and limited in scope; Coltrane, 2000), we gather comprehensive assessments of personal, relational and family functioning that we had collected prior to and during the mandated lockdown.
Analyses will address four central aims:
Aim 1. Assess whether there are gender differences in the division of labour within couples across four important domains (parenting, housework, paid work, personal time).
Aim 2. Assess whether individuals’ own and their partner’s reported (a) division of labour and (b) perceptions of fairness of the division of labour predict relevant personal, relationship and family outcomes;
Aim 3. Examine the relative contributions of (a) the division of labour and (b) perceptions of fairness of the division of labour when predicting personal, relationship and family outcomes, including whether division of labour and perceptions of fairness interact to predict outcomes; and
Aim 4. Explore whether the effect of individuals’ own reports of division of labour and perceived fairness depend on partners’ reports of perceived fairness.
