Policy effects on the division of housework

Stier, Haya; Lewin‐Epstein, Noah

doi:10.1080/13876980701494657

Cited by 63 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…A growing body of evidence indicates that gender equity varies in context, with more egalitarian divisions of domestic tasks observed in countries with greater policy support for gender equity (Breen and Cooke, 2005;Cooke, 2007b;Stier and Lewin-Epstein, 2007). Effects of gender equity on fertility also vary in context, with higher fertility associated with more egalitarian domestic divisions in countries such as Sweden where policies support maternal employment (Oláh, 2003) or remain silent regarding the domestic sphere such as in the United States (Torr and Short, 2004).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One body of work looks at policy effects on gender equity within the home (Cooke, 2007a;Stier and Lewin-Epstein, 2007), while another assesses the impact of gender equity in the household division of labour on fertility (Cooke, 2004;Oláh, 2003;Torr and Short, 2004). Economists such as Gary Becker (1981Becker ( , 1985 argue these two are at cross-purposes, with any increase in women's employment predicted to decrease women's desired number of children.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Gender Equity and Fertility in Italy and Spain

Cooke

2009

J. Soc. Pol.

126

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Gender equity and its effects on fertility vary across socio-political contexts, particularly when comparing less with more developed economies. But do subtle differences in equity within more similar contexts matter as well? Here we compare Italy and Spain, two countries with low fertility levels and institutional reliance on kinship and family, but with employment equity among women during the 1990s slightly greater in Italy than Spain. The European Community Household Panel is used to explore the effect of this difference in gender equity on the likelihood of married couples having a second birth during this time period. Women's hours of employment reduce the birth likelihood in both countries, but non-maternal sources of care offset this effect to different degrees. In Spain, private childcare significantly increases birth likelihood, whereas in Italy, father's greater childcare share increases the likelihood, particularly among employed women. These results suggest that increases in women's employment equity increase not only the degree of equity within the home, but also the beneficial effects of equity on fertility. These equity effects help to offset the negative relationship historically found between female employment and fertility.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender Equity and Fertility in Italy and Spain

Cooke

2009

J. Soc. Pol.

126

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“…This division of work exists because it was usually assumed that a man's needs are fulfilled to a great extent in the work role, whereas women's need-fulfillment comes from the home (Kavanagh and Halpern 1977). The gender ideology reflected in the differences between values attributed to men and women has also been used to underpin this model of the family (Lewin-Epstein et al 2006;Ross 1987;Stier and Lewin-Epstein 2007).…”

Section: Traditional Gender Divisionmentioning

confidence: 97%

The Division of Household Labor in Spanish Dual Earner Couples: Testing Three Theories

2010

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Although the participation of men in household activities has increased, this has not prompted an equitable division of household activities among men and women, since Spanish women continue to perform a greater share of these activities than Spanish men. This article explores the explanatory potential of three theoretical approaches (traditional gender division, role-strain and the resourcebargaining approach) to account for the emergence of different patterns in the division of unpaid work among Spanish dual earner couples. Using a representative sample of 2,877 Spanish workers and through logit ordered models, our study reveals that the three models contribute to the explanation of the different patterns of household labor and, therefore, may be regarded as complementary.

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“…Even if men today have taken on more of the household work and childcare than in the past (Brines 1994;Hook 2006), it is largely still considered a female domain and most couples demonstrate continuing inequality in the distribution of household work. According to recent research, the gendered division of housework does not vary markedly across policy regimes (Baxter 1997;Ellingsaeter and Leira 2006;Stier and Lewin-Epstein 2007), but there is evidence that national context is somewhat influential on the division of housework in families. Men do a larger share of the household work in countries where women's labour force participation and general economic and political power is greater (Hook 2006;Fuwa 2004;Davis and Greenstein 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is it Fair to Share? Perceptions of Fairness in the Division of Housework Among Couples in 22 Countries

Öun

2013

Soc Just Res

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This study explores the relationship between the actual division of housework and men's and women's perceived fairness in this regard. The central question is how the actual sharing of housework influences the perceptions of fairness in the division of housework. It is hypothesized that the perceptions of fairness differ between policy models. In countries where gender equality has been more present on the political agenda and dualearner policies have been introduced, people are expected to be more sensitive to an unfair sharing or division of housework. By analysing the relationship between actual division of housework and perceptions of fairness in household work for 22 countries representing different family policy models, the study takes on a comparative perspective with the purpose of analysing the normative impact of policy. The analysis draws on data from the 2002 round of the International Social Survey Programme on family and changing gender roles. The results show that in countries that have promoted gender equality through the introduction of policies with an aim to promote dual roles in work and family, both women and men are more sensitive to an unfair division of household labour. The difference between perceptions in the different policy models is greater among men than among women, indicating that a politicization of the dual-earner family is more important for men's equity perceptions than women's.

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Policy effects on the division of housework

Cited by 63 publications

References 29 publications

Gender Equity and Fertility in Italy and Spain

Gender Equity and Fertility in Italy and Spain

The Division of Household Labor in Spanish Dual Earner Couples: Testing Three Theories

Is it Fair to Share? Perceptions of Fairness in the Division of Housework Among Couples in 22 Countries

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