Promoting Patriarchy or Dual Equality? Multiculturalism and the Immigrant Household Division of Labor

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn this article, we provide the first empirical analysis of the relationship between multicultural immigration policy and gender inequality within immigrant communities. A fierce sociological debate pits those who identify multiculturalism as a key obstacle to gender equality among immigrant families against those who believe multiculturalism and gender egalitarianism are “dual-equality projects.” At the core of this debate are differences over the extent to which multiculturalism impedes or promotes the transmission of gender egalitarianism from host societies to immigrant communities. To adjudicate between these two perspectives, we examine whether microfoundations of the household division of labor—relative resources, time availability, and gender ideology—reduce the share of women’s labor to a greater or lesser degree in multicultural countries. We find multiculturalism increases the egalitarian effects of microfoundations among immigrant households. Both symbolic and material forms of multiculturalism contribute to its moderating effect, but immigrant women benefit the most in countries with both types of multiculturalist policies. In highly multicultural countries, rising incomes, greater employment, and more egalitarian gender ideologies can produce dramatic reductions in housework for immigrant women. We conclude by specifying the conditions where multiculturalism reduce inequalities between immigrants and natives, and within immigrant communities.