Abstract

Domestic work has gendered meaning and content of both masculinity and femininity is strongly embedded in the cultural context. In our article, across three studies we analyse the perception of household duties and their division between partners in two countries differing with regard to gender equality levels: Norway and Poland. In our Study 1, Polish (N = 64, 40 women, M_age = ) and Norwegian (N = 45, 27 women, M_age = ) students rated the typicality of domestic duties for women and men in Poland and in Norway. Our results show that feminine-typed or masculine-typed household duties are perceived as less gendered in Norway than in Poland. In the second Study, using a sample consisting of students and internet users from Poland (N = 207, 92 women, M_age = ) and Norway (N = 126, 85 women, M_age = (SD = ), we investigated whether there are Polish-Norwegian differences with regard to willingness to be more involved in household obligations. Overall, Norwegian men and women were more willing to perform household tasks. This result also found confirmation in results obtained with larger representative samples in Study 3. Using European Social Survey records of 889 Poles (429 women, M_age = ) and 990 Norwegians (452 women, M_age = ) we compared data concerning men’s and women’s perception of their and their partners’ contribution to housework. Our results show that cultural context can relate to the perception of household duties that are perceived more gender-neutral in Norway than in Poland.

Inclusion

Guys round the countries is actually under some pressure to conform to norms such as for instance since service, prominence, quest for highest social status, and you can to start with protection out of womanliness (Berent et al. 2015; Mahalik ainsi que al. 2003). Hence becoming associated with domestic job is not reported to be a beneficial people’s employment but good female’s jobs, which guys must not engage in (Poortman and Van der Lippe 2009; Bosson and Vandello 2013). The brand new the quantity to which cleaning was similarly divided ranging from feminine and you can guys depends on the amount of gender equality during the a given nation. Inside the regions that have higher quantities of gender equivalence, folks create significantly more comparable opportunities throughout the neighborhood and it’s usual for men is occupied with residential works than in countries with all the way down gender equality (Glick & Fiske, 2001; Wood and you can Eagly 2012). Due to the fact posited by the biosocial construction model, social thinking on gender positions correspond with mans observations of issues of women and you can men within their society, ergo when the some one observe female handling students and you will creating household chores chances are they think women can be alot more ideal for creating residential really works than simply dudes (Eagly and you can Steffen 1984; Timber and you can Eagly 2012). Such gender part inferences, consequently, provide sex-classified behavior that’s as well as manifested into the ladies’ and you may men’s maturity and you can obligations become working in home-based performs – medical results usually demonstrate that aside from gender equality quantities of the country, really home bargaining turns out with female are even more responsible for housework (Coltrane 2000; Ehrenberg mais aussi al. 2001; Fuwa 2004).

Difference ranging from men’s room and you will ladies’ show from inside the home errands comprises an effective obvious gender pit from the relatives. So it gap is especially noticeable when job is classified from inside the male-penned and women-wrote housework (Schneider 2012). Centered on Tai and you may Treas (2013), there is almost common office regarding errands to the male-typed (turf performs, slight repairs) and you can women-blogged works (age.g. laundry, tidy up, unwell care) centered on analysis out-of thirty-two countries. The second selection of requirements consists of errands, that are strongly precluded by guys (Treas and why are Leipzig women viewed as so pretty you may Tai 2010), because they is recognized as day-ingesting and boring, contrary to masculine-published opportunities such house repair, auto repair, grass works which can be sensed a lot more recreation and you can episodic (Bianchi ainsi que al. 2006). Apart from the biosocial structure model (Timber and you may Eagly 2012), a different sort of prospective reason why men have a tendency to abstain from undertaking feminine-authored issues ‘s the fear of not regarded as macho adequate. Cock is built along the lines of company and you will an enthusiastic anti-femininity mandate which discourages guys to-be involved in situations and this is actually feminine and you may public such childcare and home-based works (Bosson and you may Vandello 2013; Caswell et al. 2014; Kosakowska-Berezecka ainsi que al. 2016b; Schneider 2012). Avoiding housework should be thus a proven way in which men compensate for dangers on the maleness and get away from negative assessment from other area participants just who expect guys are manly and avoid women work (Caswell et al. 2014; Kosakowska-Berezecka et al. 2016b). This means that, masculine couples do not occupy adequate display of gendered household loans, that would make it women getting alot more apparent on work b).