Sex inequality driven by dispersal

Abstract

Inequality between the sexes is pervasive both outside and inside the home. One contributing factor could be the dispersal of one sex at marriage that sets up sex-specific differences in relatedness to the group. Here we exploit the ecological diversity and different social structures found in southwest China to investigate the role of sex-biased dispersal on inequality in the sexual division of labour. We use a wearable fitness tracker and validated readings by confirming that participants' daily ‘steps’ were positively correlated with time spent in high energy activities, such as agriculture and animal husbandry work, and negatively correlated with low energy activities, such as entertainment and relaxation. We applied multilevel comparative approaches to examine the relative workload pattern between sexes under different dispersive states. Our results reveal two characteristics that lead to an unfavourable division of workload: being female and dispersing at marriage. This is consistent with the hypothesis that males have increased bargaining power when remaining in their natal home, leading to inequality in workload.