Perceived Fairness of Couples’ Division of Housework: Evidence From a Multi-Factorial Experiment in the United States

Abstract

Although the ratio of women’s to men’s housework hours has declined, women still spend more time than men doing household tasks in most high-income contexts. This article examines one of the hypothesized mechanisms underlying the persistence of housework disparities—fairness perceptions—via a survey experiment in the United States. We ask: What factors contribute to fairness assessments of unequal divisions of housework in different-sex couples? Given increasing trends in gender-egalitarian attitudes, do people still think it is more fair for women to do a larger share of the housework? To address these questions, we relied on a multi-factorial vignette experiment on a nationally representative sample of 1,502 adults, in which respondents rated the fairness of the divisions of housework among hypothetical couples. Our results demonstrate that respondents engage in trade-off calculations that, to some extent, justify unequal divisions of housework. Spouses’ relative earnings and work time were assessed as contributions that justify doing fewer housework chores for both men and women. Contrary to our expectations, we find that people perceive arrangements where women perform a higher proportion of housework as less fair than scenarios where men do so. These results suggest a shift in public opinion regarding prescriptive gendered norms about housework divisions, contrasting with the decreasing but persistent gender gap in housework disadvantaging women.

Plain Language Summary

Division of Housework and Perceptions of Fairness in the United States

Although the ratio of women’s to men’s housework hours has declined, women still spend more time doing housework than men. In this article, we ask: “What factors contribute to fairness assessments of unequal divisions of housework in different-sex couples? Do people still think it is fairer for women to do a larger share of household tasks?” To address these questions, we conducted a survey experiment on a nationally representative sample of 1,502 adults. Our results demonstrate that respondents engage in trade-off calculations that legitimize unequal divisions of housework. Spouses’ earnings and work time were contributions that, for respondents, justified doing fewer housework chores for both men and women. Contrary to our expectations, we find that people perceive arrangements in which women perform a higher proportion of housework as less fair than scenarios in which men do so. These results suggest a shift in public opinion regarding gendered norms about household chores, contrasting with the decreasing but persistent gender gap in housework disadvantaging women.