The virus changed everything, didn't it? Couples' division of housework and childcare before and during the Corona crisis
Titelübersetzung:Das Virus hat alles verändert, oder? Die Aufteilung von Hausarbeit und Kinderbetreuung in Paarbeziehungen vor und während der Corona-Krise
Autor/in:
Hank, Karsten; Steinbach, Anja
Quelle: JFR - Journal of Family Research, 33 (2021) 1, S 99-113
Inhalt: Objective: To contribute to the discussion about the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender (in)equality. Background: We focus on a core aspect of gender (in)equality in intimate relationships, namely couples’ division of housework and childcare, and whether this has changed during the Corona crisis. Method: Our descriptive analysis is based on pre-release data from the German Family Panel (pairfam; Wave 12) and its supplementary Corona web-survey (n=3,108). Results: We observe no fundamental changes in established aggregate-level patterns of couples’ division of labor, but some shift towards the extremes ('traditional' and 'role reversal') of the distribution. Regarding changes within couples, there is an almost equal split between those in which the female partner’s share in housework and childcare increased and those in which it decreased. Particularly in previously more egalitarian arrangements, a substantial proportion of women is now more likely to be primarily responsible for everything. If male partners increased their relative contribution to housework and childcare, they rarely moved beyond the threshold of an equal split. Changes in employment hours were associated with adaptations of men's, but not women's, relative contribution to domestic and family responsibilities. Conclusion: Our findings neither support the notion of a 'patriarchal pandemic', nor do they indicate that the Corona crisis might have fostered macro-level trends of gender convergence. We rather observe heterogeneous responses of couples to the 'Corona shock'.
Schlagwörter:Partnerschaft; partnership; Ehepaar; married couple; Arbeitsteilung; division of labor; Hausarbeit; housework; Kinderbetreuung; child care; gender-specific factors; soziale Ungleichheit; social inequality; Federal Republic of Germany; Covid-19 pandemic; Corona; German Family Panel (pairfam; Wave 12) and its supplementary COVID-19 web-survey
SSOAR Kategorie:Familiensoziologie, Sexualsoziologie, Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung
Gender-specific patterns and determinants of spillover between work and family: The role of partner support in dual-earner couples
Titelübersetzung:Geschlechtsspezifische Muster und Determinanten von Rollenkonflikten zwischen Arbeit und Familie: Der Einfluss partnerschaftlicher Unterstützung in Zweiverdienerpaaren
Autor/in:
Adams, Ayhan; Golsch, Katrin
Quelle: JFR - Journal of Family Research, 33 (2021) 1, S 72-97
Inhalt: Objective: The study investigates how partner support affects different types of work-to-family and family-to-work conflicts in dual-earner couples divided by gender and parenthood. Background: In Germany, as in other Western Countries, interrole conflicts between work and family increase, especially within dual-earner couples. Only few studies focused on the effects of partner support on different types of these conflicts. Method: We use longitudinal data deriving from waves 6 to 10 of the German Family Panel (pairfam) to uncover the extent to which the perception of having a supportive partner reduces time- and strain-based work-to-family and family-to-work conflicts. We conduct longitudinal structural equation models based on information of 1,252 persons, which are full-time employed and live in a dual-earner relationship. Results: Whereas for men partner support helps reduce stress-based work-to-family conflicts, for women perceived partner support is not beneficial. Within a subsample of parents, the experience of work-to-family conflicts is likely irrespective of partner support. Overall, women’s family-to-work conflicts appear to be reduced by their partners’ support whereas for men this detrimental effect only applies in the case of stress-based family-to-work conflicts. Conclusion: To sum up the findings, the differences for men and women in the effect of partner support on different types of interrole conflicts indicate a still existing impact of traditional gender norms that connect femininity to house work and masculinity to employed work.
Schlagwörter:Familie-Beruf; work-family balance; Dual Career Couple; dual career couple; Arbeitsteilung; division of labor; Elternschaft; parenthood; gender-specific factors; Geschlechtsrolle; gender role; Ungleichheit; inequality; Federal Republic of Germany; partner support; work-family spillover; gender; Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics (pairfam, release 9.1), wave 6 to 10
SSOAR Kategorie:Familiensoziologie, Sexualsoziologie, Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung
Educational attainment and gender differences in work-life balance for couples across Europe: a contextual perspective
Autor/in:
Kromydas, Theocharis
Quelle: Social Inclusion, 8 (2020) 4, S 8-22
Inhalt: The current article aims to explain the interrelationships between the educational attainment of individuals living in households with heterosexual partners, their work–life balance (WLB) and the macro-economic climate of the country they live in, using data from the European Social Survey. WLB is a complex concept, as it is not only determined by factors related to someone’s employment or domestic work and childcare responsibilities, but also by decisions informed by personal experiences and circumstances, subjective perceptions and preferences. Moreover, in households with cohabiting partners, this decision-making process involves certain compromises where financial incentives, interests, gender and power dynamics play an important role. Since educational attainment is positively related to labour market outcomes, such as employment and wages, while at the same time more women are participating in education and the labour market, the gender conflict on the division of work and time within households intensifies and traditional gender roles are challenged. WLB is at the heart of this conflict operating as a mechanism through which division of work and time is reconciled on the individual and household level. Results from the current article reveal great heterogeneity between the 17 European countries examined. Perhaps surprisingly, educational attainment can have a detrimental effect on the WLB of spouses and cohabiting partners, especially for women whose level of WLB seems also more sensitive to fluctuations of the macro-economic climate of the country they live in. However, there is an indication that when an economy goes into recession, higher education has a cushioning effect on female’s WLB compared to relatively better economic times.
Work-Family Arrangement and Conflict: Do Individual Gender Role Attitudes and National Gender Culture Matter?
Autor/in:
Bornatici, Christina; Heers, Marieke
Quelle: Social Inclusion, 8 (2020) 4, S 46-60
Inhalt: This article examines the relationship between couples' work-family arrangement and individuals' perceived work–family conflict (WFC), considering individuals’ attitudes towards gender roles and national gender culture in 37 countries (N = 15,114). Previous research has shown that WFC depends on work and family demands and has mostly accounted for absolute time spent in paid and domestic work. We hypothesize that WFC depends on couples' work-family arrangement in terms of time spent in paid, domestic and care work. We further expect that the relationship between couples' work-family arrangement and WFC depends on individuals' gender attitudes and national gender culture. To test these assumptions, we use the ISSP-2012 data and apply multilevel linear regression analyses. The findings indicate that an egalitarian work-family arrangement - that is, sharing paid, domestic and care work equally with one's partner - is associated with lower levels of WFC. Moreover, individuals with egalitarian gender attitudes and an egalitarian work-family arrangement experience less WFC than individuals with inconsistent attitudes and behaviours. Individuals with consistent traditional attitudes and behaviours experience the most conflict. Finally, a more egalitarian gender culture relates to less WFC. Cross-level interactions indicate that the relationship between work-family arrangement and WFC is not mediated by countries' gender culture.
Schlagwörter:Familie-Beruf; work-family balance; Geschlechtsrolle; gender role; gender-specific factors; Arbeitsteilung; division of labor; Hausarbeit; housework; Betreuung; care; allein erziehender Elternteil; single parent; soziale Ungleichheit; social inequality; kulturelle Faktoren; cultural factors; internationaler Vergleich; international comparison; care work; couple dynamics; gender culture; gender role; work–family arrangement; work–family conflict; ISSP 2012
SSOAR Kategorie:Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung, Familiensoziologie, Sexualsoziologie
Agency and Capabilities in Managerial Positions: Hungarian Fathers' Use of Workplace Flexibility
Autor/in:
Geszler, Nikolett
Quelle: Social Inclusion, 8 (2020) 4, S 61-71
Inhalt: This article analyses the agency freedom of manager fathers in Hungary to claim work-family balance through corporate flexible working arrangements. Hobson’s interpretation of Sen’s capability approach (Hobson, Fahlén, & Takács, 2011) is applied to appraise the effect of individual resources and organizational and national context on managers' work-family balance, as well as their influence on organizational culture. An interview-based case study was undertaken at the Hungarian subsidiary of a Scandinavian multinational company, wherein 43 personal interviews were conducted with fathers in managerial positions. The interviews were analysed according to structuring qualitative content analysis. Managers benefitted from corporate flexibility (home office and flexible schedule), but experienced power asymmetries in terms of access to and use of the former according to hierarchy and department. Even though the men in these positions are assumed to be change agents, the majority of them perceived limited agency freedom to convert flexible working into work-family balance, or to influence organizational culture. The privileged position of managers was detected at the level of their individual agency. Most managers could economically afford to maintain a male breadwinner model. Therefore, limitations related to securing parental and flexibility rights were due to traditional gender norms, and the strong sense of entitlement to work. Consequently, the extent and means of use of flexibility did not challenge deeply rooted assumptions about ideal employee norms.
SSOAR Kategorie:Familiensoziologie, Sexualsoziologie, Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung, Erhebungstechniken und Analysetechniken der Sozialwissenschaften
It's getting late today, please do the laundry: The influence of long-distance commuting on the division of domestic labor
Autor/in:
Stenpaß, Anna; Kley, Stefanie
Quelle: JFR - Journal of Family Research, 32 (2020) 2, S 274-306
Inhalt: The study examines the effect of long-distance commuting on the division of domestic labor in heterosexual couples. A long journey to work can affect other areas of life. Commuters often have lower life satisfaction and their intimate relationships may be impaired by mental stress. When looking at domestic labor the question arises of who is in charge of managing the household and childcare. Do women still adopt the "lion's share of housework" or take over the "second shift" if they spend part of the day on long commutes to work and back home? A long commute is defined as a journey to work of at least 45 minutes, daily or several times a week. We present the results of pooled regression analysis and fixed effects regressions conducted on data from the German Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics (pairfam) for the years 2013, 2015, and 2016. The pooled analysis suggests a moderate association between a woman’s long commute and her partner's engagement in housework and childcare, especially when she commutes daily. Instead of living 'reversed roles', the partners share such tasks. However, when the association between a woman's long commute and her partner's engagement in childcare is estimated exclusively with fixed regression, it remains significant. If the man is a long-distance commuter, most often his partner is solely responsible for all household tasks. Relative labor market position and income distribution within the couples, as well as adherence to gender roles explain the effects of long-distance commuting on labor division.
Schlagwörter:Hausarbeit; housework; Arbeitsteilung; division of labor; Partnerschaft; partnership; Pendler; commuter; Arbeitsweg; way to work; psychische Belastung; psychological stress; Lebenszufriedenheit; satisfaction with life; gender-specific factors; Geschlechtsrolle; gender role; Doing Gender; doing gender; Familie-Beruf; work-family balance; Federal Republic of Germany; gender ideology; long-distance commuting; job-related spatial mobility; bargaining theory; Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics (pairfam) (2013, 2015, 2016)
SSOAR Kategorie:Familiensoziologie, Sexualsoziologie, Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung
"Für mich war das schon immer klar, dass wir eigentlich den Namen von meinem Mann annehmen" - Inwiefern verhandeln heterosexuelle Paare die Bestimmung ihres Ehenamens?
Titelübersetzung:"It's Been Always Clear to Me That We Actually Take My Husband's Name": (How) Do Heterosexual Couples Negotiate the Determination of Their Surname at Marriage?
Autor/in:
Wutzler, Michael
Quelle: Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 21 (2020) 3, 47 S
Inhalt: Die Entwicklung der Geschlechterverhältnisse zeigt zugleich eine zunehmende Gleichstellung und eine Persistenz männlicher Dominanz. Der staatlichen Ehe werden hierbei perpetuierende Effekte zugeschrieben, da sie zwischen Öffentlichem und Privatem vermittelt. Am Beispiel der Bestimmung des Ehenamens kann dem Zusammenspiel von patriarchalen Strukturen und individuellen Handlungsmustern nachgegangen werden. Die Bestimmung des Ehenamens ist weder ausschließlich eine Frage bürokratischer Ordnung noch ist sie als rein persönlicher Entschluss zu verstehen. Nicht nur wurden restriktive Regelungen aufgebrochen, zugleich erwuchs die egalitäre Beziehungsführung zu einem Leitbild. Doch Gleichberechtigung setzt sich nicht umfassend durch: In Deutschland bestimmen ca. 75% der heiratenden Paare ausschließlich den Nachnamen des Mannes zum Ehenamen. Im Artikel wird anhand von narrativen Paarinterviews der Frage nachgegangen, wie die Kontinuität dieses Ungleichgewichts zu erklären ist. Dafür wurden sequenzanalytisch und orientiert am Kodierverfahren der Grounded-Theory-Methodologie Aushandlungsmuster von Paaren und die zugrundeliegenden Argumentationslinien rekonstruiert. Zwar kann ein Wandel ausgemacht werden, gleichwohl werden die Dominanz hegemonial-männliche Praktiken deutlich. Für einen Großteil der Paare zeigte sich ein Spannungsverhältnis, in dem ungeachtet der rechtlichen Offenheit die Paarwirklichkeit von Geschlossenheit bezüglich der Bestimmung des Ehenamens geprägt war. Dabei unterlagen die Frauen einem höheren Rechtfertigungsdruck und die Herausforderung, die identitätsverändernden Effekte eines Namenswechsels zu bewältigen, wird von Männern nicht gleichermaßen erwartet.
Left Behind? Migration Stories of Two Women in Rural China
Autor/in:
Fan, C. Cindy; Chen, Chen
Quelle: Social Inclusion, 8 (2020) 2, S 47-57
Inhalt: Women being left behind in the countryside by husbands who migrate to work has been a common phenomenon in China. On the other hand, over time, rural women’s participation in migration has increased precipitously, many doing so after their children are older, and those of a younger generation tend to start migrant work soon after finishing school. Although these women may no longer be left behind physically, their work, mobility, circularity, and frequency of return continue to be governed by deep-rooted gender ideology that defines their role primarily as caregivers. Through the biographical stories of two rural women in Anhui, this article shows that traditional gender norms persist across generations. Yingyue is of an older generation and provided care to her husband, children, and later grandchildren when she was left behind, when she participated in migration, and when she returned to her village. Shuang is 30 years younger and aspires to urban lifestyle such as living in apartments and using daycare for her young children. Yet, like Yingyue, Shuang’s priority is caregiving. Her decisions, which are in tandem with her parents-in-law, highlight how Chinese families stick together as a safety net. Her desire to earn wages, an activity much constrained by her caregiving responsibility to two young children, illustrates a strong connection between income-generation ability and identity among women of the younger generation. These two stories underscore the importance of examining how women are left behind not only physically but in their access to opportunities such as education and income-generating activity.
Schlagwörter:China; China; ländlicher Raum; rural area; Wanderarbeitnehmer; migrant worker; woman; Betreuung; care; gender-specific factors; Geschlechtsrolle; gender role; Arbeitsteilung; division of labor; soziale Ungleichheit; social inequality; Ostasien; Far East; caregiving; left behind; rural-urban migration
SSOAR Kategorie:Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung, Familiensoziologie, Sexualsoziologie
Mothers Left without a Man: Poverty and Single Parenthood in China
Autor/in:
Li, Qin
Quelle: Social Inclusion, 8 (2020) 2, S 114-122
Inhalt: Most single-parent families in China are headed by women, and single mothers represent one of the fastest-growing groups living in poverty. Yet few studies have examined this group. This article seeks to better understand how (and why) single mothers are disadvantaged in China. Based on in-depth interviews conducted in Zhuhai, Guangzhou Province, it demonstrates that single mothers are left behind in four respects: lower income and worse economic conditions, lower employment and career development opportunities, worse physical and mental health, and poorer interpersonal relationships and less chance of remarriage. The causes of these disadvantages include Chinese family beliefs, a culture of maternal sacrifice, the traditional division of labour between men and women and social stereotypes about single mothers. The article highlights the impacts of Chinese familism culture on single mothers and advocates incorporating a gender perspective into the agenda of family policy and other relevant social policies in China.
Schlagwörter:China; China; allein erziehender Elternteil; single parent; woman; Armut; poverty; Benachteiligung; deprivation; Ungleichheit; inequality; gender-specific factors; kulturelle Faktoren; cultural factors; Tradition; tradition; Mutterschaft; motherhood; Geschlechtsrolle; gender role; Stereotyp; stereotype; Sozialpolitik; social policy; Ostasien; Far East; familism culture; single mothers
SSOAR Kategorie:Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung, Familiensoziologie, Sexualsoziologie
