Work and Family Balance in Chilean Young People’s Life Plans

Abstract

The distribution of paid work and family responsibilities along gender lines is an important source of gender inequality, even in younger generations. Young people declare to embrace egalitarian work-family conciliation ideals, but, in practice, women still assume the bulk of domestic and carework. This study advances work-family research by shedding light on the institutional and contextual factors that influence young people’s decisions in this domain. Method The study uses a qualitative approach; 75 individuals aged 18–30 were interviewed using semi-structured and structured (vignettes) open-ended questions. Theoretical sampling was used, using sex and educational level as the main criteria. Thematic coding was used to analyze the material. Results Young people favor egalitarian work-family arrangements as ideals; however, the constraints imposed by institutional contexts and unequal employment opportunities make individuals more likely to prefer traditional arrangements when faced with decisions about how they expect to make employment and caring responsibilities compatible.