Families shape our lives and experiences of gender in fundamental ways. Legal reforms and social change have created many ways for us to build our families, yet studies show us that there are some patterns when it comes to families, gender, and life chances. Research demonstrates that housework and childcare continue to be gendered, which contributes to gender inequalities within families. Keep in mind that we are discussing “families” as a broad organizing principle of daily life, not just our individual experiences in our own families. Families in this broader sense offer us a tool to understand how gender inequalities are reproduced.

Ideological and Institutional Barriers to Egalitarian Families

In our current economy, dual-income households and even single-parent families far outnumber the model where one parent financially supports the entire family. To learn more about the division of labor within families and how people feel about that division, sociologist Arlie Hochschild (1989) studied different families. She identified three common ideologies across families that structured their ability to engage in equal sharing of housework.

• Traditionalists valued the breadwinner/housewife model and believed men should primarily be responsible for earning income while women are responsible for housework and childcare.
• Neo-traditionalists supported the idea of women working if they desired to do so, but only if it did not interfere with her ability to take care of her family.
• Egalitarians preferred relationships where both partners do a fair share of earning income, housework, and childcare.

Current research suggests that an egalitarian family is the preferred structure for young adults (Pedulla and Thebaud 2015, Schwartz 2022). Sociologist Kathleen Gerson sought to understand more about decisions around household divisions of labor and gender power relations. She found that most of the people in her study (80 percent of women, 70 percent of men across all races, classes, and family backgrounds) preferred “flexible gender boundaries” where partners shared in completing both paid and unpaid work (Gerson 2010).

Research on multigenerational Mexican American families also suggests that there is an ongoing shift in the construction of masculinity, femininity, and gender relations. For men, the family dynamics of their families or origin have them rethinking male dominance in favor of improved familial and romantic relationships (Vasquez 2014). In these families, Mexican American women draw on their biographies and cross-generational advice to challenge patriarchy by becoming more educated and assertive (Vasquez 2014).

The breadwinner model where one spouse specializes in paid labor while the other manages home life seems to be falling out of favor. However, the reality is that this does not always mean there is equal sharing of responsibilities (Carlson 2022). For example, the ideology of intensive motherhood is a barrier to equal sharing of responsibilities. Intensive motherhood, which remains pervasive in the United States, refers to the idea that mothers should serve as the primary caretaker. Additionally, childrearing is viewed as an activity that requires large amounts of time, energy, and material resources that should take priority over other interests, desires, and responsibilities (Hays 1996). The ideology of intensive motherhood places great pressure on women specifically, but this model of parenting is not a cultural universal. For an optional example, you can examine the popular Netflix show Old Enough! [Website] as it highlights ways that families in other countries give their children, even toddlers, more responsibility and independence.

There are ideological and institutional barriers to implementing equal sharing of housework. Furthermore, as you will learn in the next section, economic, ideological, and structural factors may limit individual choices when it comes to equal participation in the workforce. For example, affluent families have additional financial resources to handle some of the burdens associated with housework and childcare. They may be able to outsource some domestic work by hiring nannies, housekeepers, laundry services, and ordering prepared meals.

Licenses and Attributions for Families as a Social Institution

Open Content, Original

“Families as a Social Institution” by Jennifer Puentes is licensed under CC BY 4.0.