Housework and lesbian couples in Japan: Division, negotiation and interpretation

“Doing” and “Undoing” Gender: The Meaning and Division of Housework in Same‐Sex Couples

“…Research by Kamano () on lesbian couples in Japan also reveals how lesbian couples re(constructed) the meaning of housework against the backdrop of strong cultural norms that associate housewife and housework with women. The frequency and level of involvement in housework is more intense in Japan than in other comparable countries because of a lack of “outsourcing” (e.g., hiring domestic helpers); it is also extremely skewed by gender, with women performing the majority of cooking, cleaning, and laundry (Wunderink & Niehoff, ).…”

“…At the same time, housework tends to be seen as meaningful and creative work in Japan. For example, a survey of Japanese and Swedish women found that 90% of Japanese women believed that “housework is meaningful,” compared to 57% of Swedish women (Yoshizumi, 2004, as cited in Kamano, ). Thus, lesbian women in Japan are situated in a cultural context in which housewife and housework are strongly associated with women, and yet housework is also valued.…”

“…Thus, lesbian women in Japan are situated in a cultural context in which housewife and housework are strongly associated with women, and yet housework is also valued. Kamano () found that the 21 lesbians whom she interviewed had somewhat reconfigured the meaning of housework and housewife, wherein they considered it important to do housework but regarded housework as a nongendered form of care that should be expected of all adults. In fact, Kamano observed that in almost all of the couples she interviewed, both partners felt a personal responsibility for performing housework.…”

“…In fact, Kamano observed that in almost all of the couples she interviewed, both partners felt a personal responsibility for performing housework. That is, they were motivated to do housework out of a desire to “take care of themselves and maintain equality in their relationship” (Kamano, , p. 138). But at the same time, they distanced themselves from the category of “housewife,” which implied that it was their job to do housework and to take care of everybody in the household.…”

The Sociology of Housework

“…So, too, has the importance of comparative research been noted in uncovering cross‐national variation by assessing the effects of various macro‐level factors such as institutional policies and welfare regimes (Anxo et al, ; Arnstein, Fuochi, & Mencarini, ; Hook, ). In addition, a growing number of studies turn to households other than that of heterosexual couples by focusing on housework division in households of same‐sex couples with and without children (Goldberg, Smith, & Perry‐Jenkins, ; Kamano, ; Khor, ).…”