Couples’ Relative Education and the Division of Domestic Work in France, Spain, and the United States

Abstract

The reversal of the gender gap in education and the emergence of couples in which the woman has a better economic or education status than her partner have been key shifts in family dynamics in recent decades. One of the consequences of this phenomenon is a more egalitarian division of tasks within couples, which is derived from the stronger resources of more educated women to negotiate roles. In this paper, I explored the division of unpaid domestic work in couples in France, Spain, and the United States (US), taking into account the level of education and the income of both members of the couple. The results show that hypogamous couples by education are more egalitarian than other types of couples, but the reversal of the gender gap in education has a relative effect on the division of housework. In that sense, better status in terms of earnings supposes more equality within the couple. However, gender inequalities persist even when the woman makes more money than her partner. A higher level of income is not sufficient to obtain more equality within the household, and other normative changes must be implemented in societies.