Abstract
This article analyzes changes in the gender division of domestic labor (GDDL) in post-socialist Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), an under-researched region characterized by high levels of inequality in GDDL from 1994–2012. Drawing on the literature on class gradients<em> </em>in the contribution of the genders to domestic labor and their change over time, the article answers two questions: How has GDDL (operationalized as men’s relative involvement into routine housework) changed in CEE in the post-socialist period? What has been the role of class (operationalized as respondents’ education and household income) in shaping GDDL in CEE in the post-socialist period? Data for the article comes from the 1994, 2002, and 2012 waves of the International Social Survey Program on Family and Changing Gender Roles from six CEE countries, i.e., Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Russia, and Slovenia. The findings suggest that net of individual and interactional-level factors, inequality in GDDL in the CEE region did not change substantially during the post-socialist period. The analysis also shows, however, that trends of inequality in GDDL among different classes were idiosyncratic, and this underlay the overall lack of movement towards greater equality.
Highlights
Domestic labor remains unequally divided between women and men in mixed-sex households in all countries in Europe, further perpetuating gender inequality in access to paid work, political representation, and leisure (Beneria, Berik, & Floro, 2015)
Has the stalled socialist gender revolution (Lapidus, 1978) persisted in the post-socialist period? Or has there been a move towards greater equality in gender division of domestic labor (GDDL), as suggested by aggregate level analyses that have focused on the first post-socialist decade (Crompton, Brockmann, & Lyonette, 2005; Saxonberg, 2014)? Or, rather, has there been a neo-traditionalist turn, as predicted by some commentators (Watson, 1993)? This is the first set of questions motivating this study
My first hypothesis—that, net of individual and interactional-level factors, inequality in GDDL in the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) countries increased during the first post-socialist decade and subsequently decreased during the 2000s—received confirmation in two countries only
Summary
Domestic labor remains unequally divided between women and men in mixed-sex households in all countries in Europe, further perpetuating gender inequality in access to paid work, political representation, and leisure (Beneria, Berik, & Floro, 2015). Certain regions and countries are notorious for high inequality in the gender division of domestic labor (GDDL) but have received comparatively little attention from researchers. The study focuses on one of such regions, i.e., Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). In several recent cross-sectional comparative studies on GDDL, CEE comes up as a special case because, Social Inclusion, 2020, Volume 8, Issue 4, Pages 23–34 when considering net of individual and couple-level characteristics, there appears to be more “severe domestic inequality” in that region Has the stalled socialist gender revolution (Lapidus, 1978) persisted in the post-socialist period? Or has there been a move towards greater equality in GDDL, as suggested by aggregate level analyses that have focused on the first post-socialist decade (Crompton, Brockmann, & Lyonette, 2005; Saxonberg, 2014)? Or, rather, has there been a neo-traditionalist turn, as predicted by some commentators (Watson, 1993)? This is the first set of questions motivating this study
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
