Conflict and Housework: Does Country Context Matter?

Leah Ruppanner, University of California, Irvine

In this paper, I analyze housework conflict cross-nationally using a unique data set that pairs 2004 European Social Survey data for respondents in 25 nations with societal measures of gender equality. At the individual-level, I test two theoretical approaches to subjective housework considerations: the distributive justice and relative resources perspectives. The results support these theories for men and women. At the country level, I test the relationship between housework conflict and two country-level measures: societal gender equality and rates of full-time female labor force participation. The results show a negative relationship between housework conflict and gender equality for men and women in countries with high rates of full-time female labor force participation. For those in countries with limited access to the labor force, housework conflict and gender equality are positively correlated for men and women. These results suggest a dynamic relationship between country context and individual negotiations over housework.