Division of family labour and perceived unfairness among mothers: the role of mattering to family members

Abstract

ABSTRACT Women continue to do the lion’s share of family labour in the home, but research reveals they often perceive this as fair. This study focuses on an interpersonal emotional reward that may help explain this paradox. Two hundred and twenty-three mothers of at least one child aged between 2 and 12 years old completed questionnaires assessing the relative contribution to family labour, feelings of mattering to one’s children and partner, and perceived unfairness. We examined whether perception of mattering to partner and children play a moderating role in the relationship between mothers’ contribution to family work relative to their partners’ contribution and their sense of unfairness surrounding this division of labour. Results revealed that the greater the mothers’ proportionate share of family labour in the couple, the more they tended to perceive its allocation as unfair. However, the link between relative contribution and perceived unfairness was more pronounced among mothers who felt they mattered less to their children and to their partner than among those who felt they mattered more.