Gender in Cohabitation and Marriage

Abstract

The analysis examines the direct and indirect influences of early gender socialization on the allocation of routine housework later in the life course. The study articulates hypotheses suggesting that the relationship between gender socialization early in adulthood and housework allocation later in adulthood is moderated by gender and union type and is mediated by subsequent contextual characteristics of the couple. The analysis draws on panel data from a sample of 586 young adults spanning 31 years. Findings indicate that married men's attitudes about gender early in adulthood are more influential for the later division of labor than are married women's attitudes, but gender differences in the influence of early attitudes on later housework patterns are not present among cohabitors. The influence of early gender socialization on later housework allocation is mediated by couple-level resources and time availability among cohabitors but not among married individuals.