Division of Domestic Labor

Domestic labor refers to the unpaid labor associated with running a household and raising a family; it includes the performance of household chores, child care, and emotional work (i.e., behaviors that are designed to increase others’ emotional well-being). The division of domestic labor is one of the most frequent sources of conflict between heterosexual married and cohabitating partners. The entry explains some of the consequences of inequitable divisions of household labor, observes how domestic labor is divided between heterosexual married and cohabitating partners, and reviews the social and individual factors that contribute to inequitable divisions of domestic labor. Although this entry will focus primarily on different-sex couples (i.e., one female and one male partner), research trends regarding domestic labor for same-sex married and cohabitating ...

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