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. 2016 Jan 27;32(1):99-128.
doi: 10.1007/s10680-015-9363-z. eCollection 2016 Feb.

Gender Roles, Comparative Advantages and the Life Course: The Division of Domestic Labor in Same-Sex and Different-Sex Couples

Gerrit Bauer  1
Affiliations

Gender Roles, Comparative Advantages and the Life Course: The Division of Domestic Labor in Same-Sex and Different-Sex Couples

Gerrit Bauer. Eur J Popul. .

Abstract

Lesbian and gay couples by definition cannot establish sex-specific divisions of domestic tasks, at least not literally. Previous research has shown that high levels of equality characterize domestic work arrangements in same-sex couples. This study scrutinizes explanations for this. The theoretical background stems from family economics, from the theory of relative resources and from gender role and life-course considerations. The empirical analysis is based upon the Generations and Gender Survey from Austria, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Australia. Results show that same-sex partners engage in more tasks equally, that their housework-sharing pattern is less segregated and that the partners' workload is more equally balanced. Comparative advantages, life-course differences and gender roles contribute to the explanation of higher levels of equality in same-sex compared to different-sex relationships.

Keywords: Division of housework; Family economics; Gender roles; Same-sex couples.

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Conflict of interest statement

Compliance with Ethical StandardsThe author declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Selected regression coefficients (according to Table 5)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Conditional effects of educational heterogamy and income ratio (according to Tables 6, 7)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Conditional effects of life-course characteristics (according to Table 8)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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