Division of Household Labor and Marital Satisfaction in China: Urban and Rural Comparisons

Abstract

Division of household labor is associated with marital satisfaction among Chinese populations. However, little research has compared rural and urban regions in Chinese societies, which have traditionally had significant cultural differences. This study compared the level of division of household labor and the relationship of division of household labor and marital satisfaction between the urban and rural regions of China. ANOVA results indicated that there were no urban-rural differences in the division of household labor among males and among females. Overall, the division of household labor was significantly associated with marital satisfaction, and invariance testing using SEM revealed the strength of the relationship between division of labor and marital satisfaction did not differ among urban and rural regions in China. Females reported higher levels of household labor in both rural and urban regions, but there were no gender differences in the relationship between division of household labor and marital satisfaction.