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

Fisher A.N. Ryan M.K. Liao Y.-H. Mikołajczak G. Riedijk L. Leander N.P. Abakoumkin G. Abdul Khaiyom J.H. Ahmedi V. Agostini M. Atta M. Bagci S.C. J. Bélanger J. Berisha Kida E. B. I. Bernardo A. Chobthamkit P. Choi H.-S. Cristea M. Damnjanovic K. Danyliuk I. Di Santo D. M. Douglas K. Enea V. J. Fitzsimons G. Gómez Á. Gützkow B. Hamaidia A. Helmy M. Hudiyana J. Jovanović V. Kende A. Keng S.-L. Kieu T.T.T. Koc Y. Kreienkamp J. Kurapov A. Lantos N.A. P. Lemay E. Lueders A. Malik N.I. O. McCabe K. Mehulić J. Molinario E. Moyano M. Muhammad H. Muluk H. F. Nisa C. Nyúl B. A. O’Keefe P. Olivias Osuna J.J. Osin E. Park J. Pica G. Pierro A. Rees J. Reitsema A.M. Rullo M. Samekin A. M. Schumpe B. A. Selim H. Stanton M.V. Tseliou E. R vanDellen M. Vázquez A. Wollast R. Yeung V.W.-L. Zand S. Žeželj I.L. Zúñiga C.
May 2024 Springer

Sex Roles
2024 #90 Issue 5 642 - 658 pp.

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.

Division of labor , Gender equality , Gender roles , Interpersonal relationships , Relationship quality , Well being

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Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, The Australian National University, Beryl Rawson Building, 13 Ellery Crescent, Acton, 2601, ACT, Australia
Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Department of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
Social, Health, and Organizational Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, Wayne State University, Detroit, United States
Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece
International Islamic University Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
University of Pristine, Prishtina, Kosovo
University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Wayne State University, 42 W Warren Ave, Detroit, 48202, MI, United States
University of Sargodha, Punjab, Sargodha, 40100, Pakistan
Sabanci University, İstanbul, Turkey
Carnegie Mellon University Qatar, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar
De La Salle University, Metro Manila, Manila, Philippines
Thammasat University Rangsit Center, 99 Moo 18 Paholyothin Road, Klong Nueng, Klong Luang, Pathumthani, 12121, Thailand
Sungkyunkwan University, 25-2 Seonggyungwan-ro, Seoul, South Korea
Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, United Kingdom
University of Belgrade, Beograd, Serbia
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Volodymyrska St, Kyiv, Ukraine
University of Pisa, Pisa, 56126, Italy
University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NZ, United Kingdom
Alexandru Ion Cuza University, Bulevardul Carol I 11, Iași, 700506, Romania
Duke University, Durham, 27708, NC, United States
Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Madrid, Spain
Setif 2 University, Setif, Algeria
Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman
Menoufia University, Shibin el Kom, 6131567, Egypt
Universitas Indonesia, Kota Depok, 16424, Indonesia
University of Novi Sad, Dr Zorana Đinđića 2, Novi Sad, 21000, Serbia
Department of Social Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Egyetem tér 1-3, Budapest, 1053, Hungary
Department of Psychology, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University 5 Jalan University, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, 47500, Malaysia
HCMC University of Education, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, 720000, Viet Nam
University of Salzburg, Kapitelgasse 4/6, Salzburg, 5020, Austria
University of Maryland, College Park, 20742, MD, United States
University of Hohenheim, Schloß Hohenheim 1, Stuttgart, 70599, Germany
Carleton University, Ottawa, K1S 5B6, ON, Canada
University of Zagreb, Ul. Radoslava Cimermana 88, Zagreb, 10000, Croatia
Florida Gulf Coast University, 10501 FGCU Blvd, Fort Myers, 33965, FL, United States
University of Cordoba, Córdoba, Spain
University of Peshawar, Rahat Abad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Peshawar, 25120, Pakistan
Universitas Indonesia, Jl. Lingkar, Pondok Cina, Kecamatan Beji, Jawa Barat, Kota Depok, 16424, Indonesia
Duke Kunshan University, Suzhou, China
University of Exeter Business School, Exeter, EX4 4PU, United Kingdom
University of Paris Nanterre, 200 Av. de la Républiqu, Nanterre, 92000, France
nucb business school, 1 Chome-3-1 Nishiki, Aichi, 460-0003, Japan
University of Camerino, Macerata, 62032, Italy
University “La Sapienza” Rome, Roma, 00185, Italy
Bielefield University, Universitätsstraße 25, Bielefeld, 33615, Germany
Utrecht University, Heidelberglaan 8, Utrecht, 3584 CS, Netherlands
University of Siena, Siena, Italy
School of Liberal Arts, M. Narikbayev KAZGUU University, Astana, 010000, Kazakhstan
University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 1012 WP, Netherlands
King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
California State University, East Bay, 25800 Carlos Bee Blvd, Hayward, 94542, CA, United States
University of Georgia, Athens, 30602, GA, United States
Université Clermont-Auvergne, 26 Av. Léon Blum, Clermont-Ferrand, 63000, France
Lingnan University, 8 Castle Peak Rd, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong
University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, 20126, Italy
University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 1, Beograd, Serbia
Universidad de Chile, Av. Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins 1058, Santiago, 8330111, Chile

Global Institute for Women’s Leadership
Faculty of Economics and Business
Department of Psychology
Social
Center for Peace and Conflict Studies
Department of Psychology
University of Thessaly
International Islamic University Malaysia
University of Pristine
University of Groningen
Wayne State University
University of Sargodha
Sabanci University
Carnegie Mellon University Qatar
De La Salle University
Thammasat University Rangsit Center
Sungkyunkwan University
Heriot Watt University
University of Belgrade
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
University of Pisa
University of Kent
Alexandru Ion Cuza University
Duke University
Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia
Setif 2 University
Sultan Qaboos University
Menoufia University
Universitas Indonesia
University of Novi Sad
Department of Social Psychology
Department of Psychology
HCMC University of Education
University of Salzburg
University of Maryland
University of Hohenheim
Carleton University
University of Zagreb
Florida Gulf Coast University
University of Cordoba
University of Peshawar
Universitas Indonesia
Duke Kunshan University
University of Exeter Business School
University of Paris Nanterre
nucb business school
University of Camerino
University “La Sapienza” Rome
Bielefield University
Utrecht University
University of Siena
School of Liberal Arts
University of Amsterdam
King Saud University
California State University
University of Georgia
Université Clermont-Auvergne
Lingnan University
University of Milano-Bicocca
University of Belgrade
Universidad de Chile

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