ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the couples for their divisions of domestic labour, and their accounts of how housework is shared. There exists a large body of sociological research on the gendered division of household labour, particularly in the context of increasing female participation in paid work. Yet for the couples interviewed in the chapter housework and cooking form a major part of their experiences within their relationships and garnered much discussion in both the interviews and focus groups. The world of work has long been associated with gender inequality, and paid employment remains highly gendered with women and men seen as suited for different activities, men disproportionately represented in the top posts, and an enduring gender pay gap. The chapter explains that the differences in male and female work pressures may be emphasized or constructed by the couples interviewed in order to support and justify the inequalities within their relationships.
