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Journal of Adult Development, Vol. 11, No. 3, July 2004 ( C 2004)
Division of Labor Among Lesbian and Heterosexual
Parenting Couples: Correlates of Specialized
Versus Shared Patterns
Charlotte J. Patterson,1,2 Erin L. Sutfin,1 and Megan Fulcher1
One of the central tasks that couples face in coparenting is the division of labor. In this study, we explored division of family labor among lesbian and heterosexual couples who were parenting 4 to 6 year-old children. Sixty-six families, half headed by lesbian couples and half headed by heterosexual couples, participated in the study. Measures of parental attitudes, resources, demographics, and division of labor were collected. As expected, lesbian couples were more likely to divide paid and unpaid labor evenly, whereas heterosexual couples were more likely to show specialized patterns, with husbands investing more time in paid employment and wives devoting more time to unpaid family work. Structural variables
(e.g., husband’s hours in paid employment) were the best predictors of division of labor among heterosexual couples. Among lesbian couples, however, ideological variables (e.g., ideas about ideal divisions of labor) were the better predictors. Discrepancies in occupational prestige were greater among heterosexual than among lesbian couples. Discussion centers on the ways in which gender and sexual orientation may relate to couples’ decisions about division of labor.
KEY WORDS: division of labor; lesbian mother; parenting; families; sexual orientation.
One of the central tasks that couples face in coparenting is the division of labor (Acock & Demo,
1994; McHale et al., 2002). How much time should each member of the couple invest in paid employment to provide necessary financial support for the family? And how much time should each devote to unpaid but essential household and childcare tasks?
In this study, we examine predictors of such decisions among lesbian and heterosexual couples
Division of Labor Among Lesbian and Heterosexual
Parenting Couples: Correlates of Specialized
Versus Shared Patterns
Charlotte J. Patterson,1,2 Erin L. Sutfin,1 and Megan Fulcher1
One of the central tasks that couples face in coparenting is the division of labor. In this study, we explored division of family labor among lesbian and heterosexual couples who were parenting 4 to 6 year-old children. Sixty-six families, half headed by lesbian couples and half headed by heterosexual couples, participated in the study. Measures of parental attitudes, resources, demographics, and division of labor were collected. As expected, lesbian couples were more likely to divide paid and unpaid labor evenly, whereas heterosexual couples were more likely to show specialized patterns, with husbands investing more time in paid employment and wives devoting more time to unpaid family work. Structural variables
(e.g., husband’s hours in paid employment) were the best predictors of division of labor among heterosexual couples. Among lesbian couples, however, ideological variables (e.g., ideas about ideal divisions of labor) were the better predictors. Discrepancies in occupational prestige were greater among heterosexual than among lesbian couples. Discussion centers on the ways in which gender and sexual orientation may relate to couples’ decisions about division of labor.
KEY WORDS: division of labor; lesbian mother; parenting; families; sexual orientation.
One of the central tasks that couples face in coparenting is the division of labor (Acock & Demo,
1994; McHale et al., 2002). How much time should each member of the couple invest in paid employment to provide necessary financial support for the family? And how much time should each devote to unpaid but essential household and childcare tasks?
In this study, we examine predictors of such decisions among lesbian and heterosexual couples