How Are the Division of Labor in Couples, Its Fairness Perception, and Relationship Quality Interrelated?

Heike Trappe , Universität Rostock
Katja Köppen, Universität Rostock

This paper examines the interrelationships between couples' division of labor, their perceptions of fairness, and relationship quality over the course of a relationship. It has been argued that gender equality and fairness assessment in the family tend to increase relationship stability. Family researchers have devoted much effort to understanding this relationship, but surprisingly few studies have addressed the issue longitudinally, and even fewer have examined within-individual variation over time. Based on the assumptions of exchange and equity theories, we hypothesize that a perceived division of labor is key to a mutually beneficial relationship. Using the six most recent waves of data from the German Family Panel (2016/17-2021/22), we are able to follow respondents in cohabiting relationships over the course of their relationship. Relationship quality is measured as self-rated relationship satisfaction. The main explanatory variables are the division of housework and paid work, as well as the perceived fairness of the couple's division of labor. We use fixed-effects regression models in a structural equation framework to analyze the interrelationships among the measures of the focal variables. This allows us not only to control for all time-invariant variables, but also to test whether the relationship between partnership quality and perceived fairness of the division of labor is bidirectional. So far, our results suggest that changes in (in)equality and (in)equity in the division of labor affect relationship satisfaction to a lesser extent than expected. There is evidence that an increasing sense of unfairness in the division of labor and declining relationship satisfaction are closely intertwined only among women.

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 Presented in Session 112. Flash session Gender, Work and Parenthood