Headed Toward Equality? Housework Change in Comparative Perspective

Abstract

This paper examined gendered housework in the larger context of comparative social change, asking specifically whether cross-national differences in domestic labor patterns converge over time. Our analysis of data from 13 countries (N =11,065) from the 1994 and 2002 International Social Survey Program (ISSP), confirmed that social context matters in shaping couples’ division of labor at home, but also showed that context affects patterns of change. Our results suggested that, compared to the most egalitarian countries, the shift in housework patterns was greatest among the most traditional countries. This provides support for the thesis of cultural convergence, but the evidence did not suggest that such convergence will lead to complete equality in the foreseeable future.

Fifty years of change updated: Cross-national gender convergence in housework

“…An interesting distinction is also evident in the different pace of change between these countries and others in which the gender division of housework has been more equal across the period. This distinction is in line with the findings of Geist and Cohen (2011), whose analysis of International Social Survey Program data between 1994 and 2002 showed that more traditional countries move faster towards egalitarianism in routine housework over time.…”

Overwork and the Slow Convergence in the Gender Gap in Wages

“…Prior efforts to understand this puzzle have focused on the "stalled revolution" in the domestic division of labor (Hochschild and Machung [1989] 2003; see also Bianchi et al 2012;Geist and Cohen 2011); the uneven or incomplete adoption of effective anti-discrimination, diversity, and family-friendly personnel policies (e.g., Dobbin, Kim, and Kalev 2011;Hirsh 2009;Kelly 2010;Williams, Blair-Loy, and Berdahl 2013); deep-rooted cultural beliefs about gender differences in competencies that affect labor supply and demand in high-paying occupations and that often become embodied in organizations (e.g., Acker 1990; Ridgeway 2011); and persistent gender segregation in the workplace (e.g., Charles and Grusky 2004;Weeden and Sørensen 2004).…”

Distintas o iguales: las diferencias en el trabajo doméstico de las parejas de doble ingreso entre las uniones libres y los matrimonios

“…Si bien se ha documentado la reducción de la diferencia en el tiempo dedicado al mismo entre hombres y mujeres, ellas continúan realizando la mayor parte del trabajo no remunerado, aun cuando ha aumentado su participación en el trabajo extradoméstico (Pedrero, 2005;Sayer, 2010;Geist y Cohen, 2011). Justamente esta tendencia ha puesto en duda la llamada hipótesis de la especialización, es decir, que la división sexual del trabajo obedece fundamentalmente a la decisión de los miembros de las parejas a especializarse en un ámbito u otro para maximizar sus recursos y capacidades (Becker, 1981).…”