Social Exchange Theory and the Division of Household Labor in Same-Sex Couples

Sutphin, Suzanne

doi:10.1080/01494929.2010.490102

Cited by 29 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…For instance, in same‐sex relationships, it is less likely that one partner does a disproportionate share of the housework (Goldberg & Perry‐Jenkins, ; Patterson, Sutfin, & Fulcher, ). When differences in proportional contributions to housework occur in same‐sex couples, the partner with less job prestige (Carrington, ), less income (Goldberg et al, ; Sutphin, ), or greater job flexibility (Carrington, ; Sutphin, ) tends to perform a greater proportion of unpaid work. Thus, even though, on average, same‐sex couples divide up housework more equally than heterosexual couples, differences in time availability and resources between partners may ultimately be influential in shaping who does what, thus challenging the notion that same‐sex couples are not influenced by status and power differences (Goldberg, ).…”

Section: Doing Gender? Housework In Same‐sex Couplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Doing” and “Undoing” Gender: The Meaning and Division of Housework in Same‐Sex Couples

Goldberg

2013

J of Family Theo & Revie

153

154

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Research on same‐sex couples and housework can add nuance to our understanding of gender and housework. This analytic review highlights what can be gained from research on same‐sex couples and housework. Specifically, this review reveals how same‐sex couples both “do” and “undo” gender through housework. It illustrates how partners in same‐sex couples are influenced by heteronormative meaning systems surrounding housework, yet it also points to ways housework can be redefined in the context of same‐sex couples. For example, same‐sex couples who enact arrangements with more specialized divisions of labor tend to reject the notion that their labor arrangements are imitative or derivative of those of heterosexual couples. Instead, they interpret their arrangements as pragmatic and chosen, as well as uniquely defined by the fact that they are enacted in a same‐sex relational context. This review also underscores the need to attend to the social and temporal contexts that shape how same‐sex couples give meaning to and enact housework. Finally, this review challenges us to think beyond simplistic classification systems of housework as feminine or masculine, or as gendered or nongendered, and, likewise, to move beyond characterizations of same‐sex couples as either “doing” or “undoing” gender.

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Section: Doing Gender? Housework In Same‐sex Couplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Doing” and “Undoing” Gender: The Meaning and Division of Housework in Same‐Sex Couples

Goldberg

2013

J of Family Theo & Revie

153

154

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“…Contrary to the accounts of negotiation and choice which arise absent gender differences, partners in same-sex relationships who specialise in domestic labour may do so not out of inclination or choice, but on account of their paid work relative to that of other family members (Carrington 1999, p. 193). The partners' respective earning power, in turn, is affected by structural factors such as race and class (Weston 1996, Sutphin 2010. Avowals of equality notwithstanding, on one assessment unequal incomes within a couple make it 'incredibly difficult to resist those patterns of dominance' that cohere around the role and status afforded the higher earner (Burns et al 2008, p. 499).…”

Section: Distinctive Traits Of Same-sex Couplesmentioning

confidence: 97%

Marriage and the data on same-sex couples

Leckey

2013

Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law

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With analytical and methodological aims, this paper raises the difficulties of studying how well the financial frameworks governing marriage and divorce might serve the catchment group of same-sex couples to whom they are henceforth available. It calls for disaggregating the legal content of marriage for the purposes of analysis. By reference to the empirical social science, it then sets out the basis for challenging the assumption that access to marriage on the existing terms best remedies same-sex couples' long-time legal neglect. But crucial methodological difficulties arise when looking to research in order to assess the fitness of existing marriage law for same-sex couples. The available data do not speak to key elements of marriage law. Underscoring the limits of social science research, the paper draws out the role of justice and identity claims in marriage law.

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“…This was the first study to examine individual tasks rather than an average household score. The results of this study show a slight trend towards income playing a role in the division of labor in same-sex couples (Sutphin, 2010). Goldberg and colleagues (2012) explored the division of labor among heterosexual, lesbian, and gay adoptive parents.…”

Section: Theories Of Division Of Labormentioning

confidence: 64%

“…While there seems to be some support for the relative resource theory for heterosexual couples, there is limited evidence for this perspective with gay and lesbian couples (e.g., Carrington, 1999;Chan, Brooks, Raboy, & Patterson, 1998;Goldberg et al, 2012;Kurdek, 1993;Patterson, Sutfin, & Fulcher, 2004;Sutphin, 2010). Kurdek (1993) found that for heterosexual couples -but not for lesbian or gay couples -lower income seemed to be tied to greater participation in household labor for both men and women.…”

Section: Theories Of Division Of Labormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although not statistically supported, Blumstein & Schwartz (1983) reported that, even with large discrepancies in income among lesbian couples, these couples still divided unpaid labor in an egalitarian manner. In a recent study, Sutphin (2010) examined the association between income and the division of individual household tasks among same-sex couples. She found that income was moderately associated with meal preparation and paying bills such that the partner with higher income reported greater responsibility for financial decisions in the household.…”

Section: Theories Of Division Of Labormentioning

confidence: 99%

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Division of Labor Among Gay Fathers: Associations with Parent, Couple, and Child Adjustment

Tornello

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In the family, division of labor (i.e., how a couple designates who will perform specific tasks in their household), is an important part of the co-parenting relationship. Along with the allocation of household tasks and childcare, the degree to which a couple agrees on how to divide these tasks has been associated with an array of factors relating to individual, family, and child adjustment. The present study is designed to examine the division of household and childcare labor among gay fathers and to explore the associations of their divisions of labor with aspects of the family system. The sample consisted of 335 self-described gay fathers who took part in an internet-based study. All of the participants identified themselves as gay fathers who currently had male partners and at least one child under 18 years of age residing in their home. The study had three main aims: first, the study replicated and extended past findings by examining the current and ideal division of labor among gay couples of different types. Second, the study tested three theories of division of labor to gain a greater understanding of the factors that play a role in how labor is divided in these families. Lastly, the study evaluated associations between discrepancies among current and ideal divisions of labor, on the one hand, and parent well-being, couple functioning, and child adjustment, on the other. In all, gay fathers reported having and desiring an egalitarian division of labor, this pattern remained relatively stable over time, and results supported the time-availability theory along with some aspects of life course theory were supported. Lastly, discrepancies between actual and ideal division of labor were associated with parental well-being and couple functioning but not children's adjustment. These results contribute to greater understanding of the role that division of labor plays in parent, couple, and child adjustment among gay father families.

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Social Exchange Theory and the Division of Household Labor in Same-Sex Couples

Cited by 29 publications

References 18 publications

“Doing” and “Undoing” Gender: The Meaning and Division of Housework in Same‐Sex Couples

“Doing” and “Undoing” Gender: The Meaning and Division of Housework in Same‐Sex Couples

Marriage and the data on same-sex couples

Division of Labor Among Gay Fathers: Associations with Parent, Couple, and Child Adjustment

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