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The division of household labor between men and women in everyday marriage life

The current article investigates how housework negotiations occur inside the home, due to the new demands that emerged with the women's lib movement and the increase of women in labor-force participation. We evaluated attitudes and behaviors regarding several topics in a couple's life by interviewing 20 heterosexual middle-class couples, with ages between 30-40 years, with at least 5 years of marriage and at least 1 child. Among our major results, we highlight the fact that despite the existence of a double working schedule and the difficulties expressed by men in sharing household chores in an egalitarian fashion - which greatest weight relies upon women (caring for the house and the children, shopping, organizing, doing laundry, ironing, etc.) - we did not observe, as could be expected, a great increase in conflicts in marital relationship.

Gender; Attitudes; Housework; Marriage


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