Gender and Perception of Justice in Housework Division between Unemployed Spouses

Division of family tasks between the members of a couple often reflects gender (in)equality in the family. Identifying how couples with different unemployment configurations divide family tasks may contribute to a better understanding of the process. In this study, we evaluated how unemployed couples (only husbands, only wives, and both; n = 291) distributed different types of family tasks (domestic, maintenance/repair, and childcare), the effects of this division on the perception of justice, and the influence of attitudes towards gender roles in their perception of justice. We verified that unemployment introduces some changes, for both men and women. Namely, individuals when unemployed start performing more family tasks. However, division is still unequal, with wives performing more domestic and childcare tasks than their husbands. Nevertheless, men and women have a greater perception of justice towards a more equal division, even after we control the effect of traditional gender attitudes.