Perceptions of Fairness and Housework Disagreement: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

This article uses data from couples in 29 nations to investigate the associations between household divisions of labor, perceptions of housework fairness, and frequency of housework disagreement. We extend previous studies by hypothesizing that perceptions of fairness mediate the relationship between household division of labor and housework disagreement. We also hypothesize that the association between perceptions of fairness and housework disagreement will be stronger for women than men and will be influenced by both individual characteristics and macro-level context. The results support our hypotheses, showing that individuals’ relative resources and macro-level factors such as the female–male earned income ratio strengthen the relationship between perceptions of fairness and housework disagreement. We conclude that relative economic resources between genders at the micro- and macro-level shape the extent to which subjective perceptions of fairness are associated with housework disagreement.