Division of Household Labor as a Source of Contention for Married and Cohabiting Couples in Metropolitan Moscow

Using data on Moscowcouples, this study investigates the division of household labor and its effects on marital conflict and thought of divorce. The hypotheses predict how spouses’economic resources, gender beliefs, and time constraints influence marital contention both directly and indirectly through wife’s perceived division of household labor and her satisfaction with it. Husband’s marital contention also is analyzed. Among the findings, the spouses’ relative characteristics have some influence on the division of household labor, and the relative characteristics condition the effects of household labor on wife’s perceived marital conflict and thoughts of divorce. Household labor is most important in predicting marital contention for wives, but it is only somewhat important for husbands. While demonstrating that the household division of labor should be given more attention in Russian family research, the study provides an important comparative analysis for American scholars on the role of domestic labor in couple dynamics.