The Precarity of Progress: Implications of a Shifting Gendered Division of Labor for Relationships and Well-Being as a Function of Country-Level Gender Equality

Alexandra N. Fisher; Michelle K. Ryan; Yuan-Hsi Liao; Gosia Mikołajczak; Larisa Riedijk; N. Pontus Leander; Georgios Abakoumkin; Jamilah Hanum Abdul Khaiyom; Vjollca Ahmedi; Maximilian Agostini; Moshin Atta; Sabahat Cigdem Bagci; Jocelyn J. Bélanger; Edona Berisha Kida; Allan B. I. Bernardo; Phatthanakit Chobthamkit; Hoon-Seok Choi; Mioara Cristea; Kaja Damnjanovic; Ivan Danyliuk; Daniela Di Santo; Karen M. Douglas; Violeta Enea; Gavan J. Fitzsimons; Ángel Gómez; Ben Gützkow; Ali Hamaidia; Mai Helmy; Joevarian Hudiyana; Veljko Jovanović; Anna Kende; Shian-Ling Keng; Tra Thi Thanh Kieu; Yasin Koc; Jannis Kreienkamp; Anton Kurapov; Nóra Anna Lantos; Edward P. Lemay; Adrian Lueders; Najma Iqbal Malik; Kira O. McCabe; Jasmina Mehulić; Erica Molinario; Manuel Moyano; Hayat Muhammad; Hamdi Muluk; Claudia F. Nisa; Boglárka Nyúl; Paul A. O’Keefe; Jose Javier Olivias Osuna; Evgeny Osin; Joonha Park; Gennaro Pica; Antonio Pierro; Jonas Rees; Anne Margit Reitsema; Marika Rullo; Adil Samekin; Birga M. Schumpe; Heyla A. Selim; Michael Vicente Stanton; Eleftheria Tseliou; Michelle R vanDellen; Alexandra Vázquez; Robin Wollast; Victoria Wai-Lan Yeung; Somayeh Zand; Iris Lav Žeželj; Claudia Zúñiga

doi:10.1007/s11199-024-01453-6

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The Precarity of Progress: Implications of a Shifting Gendered Division of Labor for Relationships and Well-Being as a Function of Country-Level Gender Equality

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The Precarity of Progress: Implications of a Shifting Gendered Division of Labor for Relationships and Well-Being as a Function of Country-Level Gender Equality

Alexandra N. Fisher, Michelle K. Ryan, Yuan-Hsi Liao, Gosia Mikołajczak, Larisa Riedijk, N. Pontus Leander, Georgios Abakoumkin, Jamilah Hanum Abdul Khaiyom, Vjollca Ahmedi, Maximilian Agostini, …

Sex roles, Vol.90(5), pp.642-658

05-01-2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-024-01453-6

Abstract

Behavioral Science and Psychology

Gender Studies

General

Medicine/Public Health

Original Article

Psychology

Sociology

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic saw a shift toward a more traditional division of labor–one where women took greater responsibility for household tasks and childcare than men. We tested whether this regressive shift was more acutely perceived and experienced by women in countries with greater gender equality. Cross-cultural longitudinal survey data for women and men ( N = 10,238) was collected weekly during the first few months of the pandemic. Multilevel modelling analyses, based on seven waves of data collection, indicated that a regressive shift was broadly perceived but not uniformly felt. Women and men alike perceived a shift toward a more traditional division of household labor during the first few weeks of the pandemic. However, this perception only undermined women’s satisfaction with their personal relationships and subjective mental health if they lived in countries with higher levels of economic gender equality. Among women in countries with lower levels of economic gender equality, the perceived shift predicted higher relationship satisfaction and mental health. There were no such effects among men. Taken together, our results suggest that subjective perceptions of disempowerment, and the gender role norms that underpin them, should be considered when examining the gendered impact of global crisis.

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Title: The Precarity of Progress: Implications of a Shifting Gendered Division of Labor for Relationships and Well-Being as a Function of Country-Level Gender Equality
Creators: Alexandra N. Fisher - Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, The Australian National University
Michelle K. Ryan - Australian National University
Yuan-Hsi Liao - University of Exeter
Gosia Mikołajczak - Australian National University
Larisa Riedijk - Utrecht University
N. Pontus Leander - Wayne State University
Georgios Abakoumkin - University of Thessaly
Jamilah Hanum Abdul Khaiyom - International Islamic University Malaysia
Vjollca Ahmedi - University of Pristine
Maximilian Agostini - University of Groningen
Moshin Atta - University of Sargodha
Sabahat Cigdem Bagci - Sabanci University
Jocelyn J. Bélanger - Carnegie Mellon University Qatar
Edona Berisha Kida - University of Pristine
Allan B. I. Bernardo - De La Salle University
Phatthanakit Chobthamkit - Thammasat University
Hoon-Seok Choi - Sungkyunkwan University
Mioara Cristea - Heriot-Watt University
Kaja Damnjanovic - University of Belgrade
Ivan Danyliuk - Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
Daniela Di Santo - University of Pisa
Karen M. Douglas - University of Kent
Violeta Enea - Alexandru Ioan Cuza University
Gavan J. Fitzsimons - Duke University
Ángel Gómez - Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia
Ben Gützkow - University of Groningen
Ali Hamaidia - University Ferhat Abbas of Setif
Mai Helmy - Sultan Qaboos University
Joevarian Hudiyana - University of Indonesia
Veljko Jovanović - University of Novi Sad
Veljko Jovanović - University of Novi Sad
Anna Kende - Eötvös Loránd University
Shian-Ling Keng - Sunway University
Tra Thi Thanh Kieu - HCMC University of Education
Yasin Koc - University of Groningen
Jannis Kreienkamp - University of Groningen
Anton Kurapov - University of Salzburg
Nóra Anna Lantos - Eötvös Loránd University
Edward P. Lemay - University of Maryland
Adrian Lueders - University of Hohenheim
Najma Iqbal Malik - University of Sargodha
Kira O. McCabe - Carleton University
Jasmina Mehulić - University of Zagreb
Erica Molinario - Florida Gulf Coast University
Manuel Moyano - University of Córdoba
Hayat Muhammad - University of Peshawar
Hamdi Muluk - University of Indonesia
Claudia F. Nisa - Duke Kunshan University
Boglárka Nyúl - Eötvös Loránd University
Paul A. O’Keefe - University of Exeter
Jose Javier Olivias Osuna - Universidad Nacional de Educación
Evgeny Osin - Université Paris Nanterre
Joonha Park - Nagoya University of Commerce and Business
Gennaro Pica - Università di Camerino
Antonio Pierro - Sapienza University of Rome
Jonas Rees - Bielefeld University
Anne Margit Reitsema - Utrecht University
Marika Rullo - University of Siena
Adil Samekin - Maqsut Narikbayev University
Birga M. Schumpe - University of Amsterdam
Heyla A. Selim - King Saud University
Michael Vicente Stanton - California State University, East Bay
Eleftheria Tseliou - University of Thessaly
Michelle R vanDellen - University of Georgia
Alexandra Vázquez - Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia
Robin Wollast - Université Clermont Auvergne
Victoria Wai-Lan Yeung - Lingnan University
Somayeh Zand - University of Milano-Bicocca
Iris Lav Žeželj - University of Belgrade
Claudia Zúñiga - University of Chile
Publication Details: Sex roles, Vol.90(5), pp.642-658
Publisher: Springer US
Number of pages: 17
Grant note: Australian National University 756-2022-0204 / Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100021638) ERC-CoG 725128 / H2020 European Research Council (http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100010663)
Identifiers: 99384039703406570
Academic Unit: Department of Psychology
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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The Precarity of Progress: Implications of a Shifting Gendered Division of Labor for Relationships and Well-Being as a Function of Country-Level Gender Equality

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