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Housework share between partners: Experimental evidence on gender-specific preferences
Katrin Auspurg1, Maria Iacovou2, Cheti Nicoletti3
1Department of Sociology, LMU Munich, Konradstr. 6, DE-80801 Munich, Germany.
This study found no significant gender differences in preferences for housework. The unequal division of household labor likely stems from factors other than differing male and female preferences.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Behavioral Economics
- Gender Studies
Background:
- The unequal division of housework remains a persistent societal issue.
- Conventional survey data struggles to accurately capture preferences due to endogeneity and ex-post rationalization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of gender-specific preferences in the division of housework.
- To determine if differing utility derived from housework by men and women explains the gendered labor distribution.
Main Methods:
- A novel vignette-based experimental design was employed.
- This experimental approach circumvents the limitations of traditional survey data.
Main Results:
- Remarkably little evidence of systematic gender differences in preferences was found.
- A general inclination towards an equal distribution of housework was observed.
Conclusions:
- Gender differences in preferences do not appear to be the primary driver of the gendered division of housework.
- The reasons for the unequal distribution of domestic labor must be sought elsewhere.
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