(Un)doing gender in female breadwinner households: Gender relations and structural change

Abstract

The paper explores working class couples' experiences of female-breadwinning during the Great Recession in Spain. It examines the extent to which couples' adaptations to these gender-atypical work-family arrangements have led to processes of (un)doing gender. The study is based on the analysis of 24 semi-structured biographical interviews and life history calendars with men and women in 12 heterosexual couples who have gone through different breadwinning statuses during their trajectory. Findings show that men whose partners were primary breadwinners for a period make the greatest effort to preserve the male-breadwinner illusion.In contrast, female breadwinners identify with a co-breadwinner model and do not understate their own economic contribution. Men's insufficient participation in housework and child care is experienced by women with disapproval, which turns into open conflict when the women perform the bulk of such work. The paper concludes that adaptation to unconventional arrangements can constitute a catalyst for processes that undo gender, but more qualitative longitudinal research is needed to determine how economistic and normative factors interact dynamically across different countries and social groups in shaping these processes.

Gender Egalitarianism and Attitudes Toward Parental Leave

“…It may be that those who think mothers are financial providers feel it is important for mothers to return to work in a timely fashion in order to support their families, but also that fathers should not necessarily take longer leaves to compensate. This is consistent with other research that suggests women breadwinners may encourage more equal sharing of home tasks alongside continued emphasis on men’s own breadwinning role (Sánchez-Mira 2021). While support for maternal employment is linked to egalitarian gender ideologies (Knight and Brinton 2017), this finding seems similar to ideas about fathers as good providers.…”

Association between Precarious Employment and Chronic Stress: Effect of Gender, Stress Measurement and Precariousness Dimensions—A Cross-Sectional Study

“…It refers to the traditional model of articulation of employment and family life according to which the male household head acts as the main provider for his dependent wife and children [ 65 ]. Despite being a declining work-family arrangement in Spain, it still persists as a powerful social imaginary, especially among men [ 66 ]. Although it should be deepened in future studies, this result is in line with the literature in the field of gender roles and stress.…”

Gender Differences in the Indirect Effect of Psychosocial Work Environment in the Association of Precarious Employment and Chronic Stress: A Cross-Sectional Mediation Analysis

“…It should be noted that, although the sexual division of labour has been losing its rigidity over time, mainly due to the massive and sustained entry of women into the job market (Soares and Falcão, 2015), there has not been any effective redistribution of responsibilities within the family, where changes are slower and co-responsibility between men and women is still a long way off [ 46 , 47 ]. Furthermore, gender relations within family frameworks still tend to be patriarchal, and even if occupational status is higher, women rarely have enough power to force men to agree to an equitable division of domestic work and childcare [ 48 , 49 , 50 ].…”