Sociologists Give Couples Top Tips for Dividing Up Household Chores Fairly
majority of the housework and childcare. This can lead to strains in relationships, and burnout and health issues for those taking the brunt of the tasks.There are three ways that same-sex couples avoid these tensions and fairly distribute housework, according to new research in the journal LGBTQ+ Family: An Interdisciplinary Journal."We found that same-sex couples had diverse patterns of dividing labor, and most were not equally sharing housework," the authors wrote in the paper. "Yet, most couples felt their DOL [division of labor] was fair.
We argue that three key factors enabled participants to construct their DOL fairly, even when unequal: flexibility in allocating labor, communication, and revaluing unpaid labor as equal to paid labor, as an act of love, which can be culturally significant."Rather than a strict half-and-half split of all the chores, same-sex couples were found to instead allocate tasks in a way that achieved a sense of fairness and equality, according to an essay in the Conversation by the study authors Alice Beban and Glenda Roberts, both sociology researchers at Massey University.One of the ways that the study found that same-sex couples achieved this includes changing things up.
Rather than each member of the relationship sticking to a set of tasks that are theirs to perform, it can feel fairer to choose roles based on needs at the time, personal preferences, and availability.
Flexibility from both parties is important for this, with both being willing to swap and change if the need arrives.Some of the same-sex couples in the study noted that one person always doing one task and the other always doing another, such as cooking or the school run, can lead to rigidity and dependence, which they actively tried to avoid.Another important factor that the study found was communication.
