Why Do Women Still Do More Housework Than Men?

US couples have traditionally divided paid and unpaid labor along gender lines. Married men have traditionally been the primary breadwinners, focusing on paid labor.¹ By contrast, married women have specialized in housework and childcare.¹ However, the gender division of labor has changed significantly in recent decades. What does the family sociology literature say about these changes?

Increases in wives’ financial contribution

The labor force participation and earnings trajectories of couples in the United States are increasingly deviating from this traditional pattern. According to a Pew Report, 85 percent of married couples involved husbands who were the primary or sole breadwinners in 1972.² The percentage of U.S. couples following this arrangement dropped to 55 percent by 2022.² Instead, the percentage of married couples in which wives are the sole or primary breadwinner increased over threefold─from 5% in 1972 to 16% in 2022.² And over the long run, approximately 70 percent of US mothers will become the primary breadwinner at some point while the child is a minor.³ These patterns have emerged partly due to the declining economic fate of men and partly due to the increasing potential for women to contribute economically to the household.³

Women continue to perform more household labor than men

Despite significant increases in women's labor force participation and economic contributions to their household economy, the division of household responsibilities between men and women remains far from equal.⁴ Married women still perform more housework than their spouses. For example, 51 percent of married or cohabiting couples report that the female partner is the one who takes on the primary responsibility of cleaning the house whereas 9 percent of married couples report that the male partner takes on the primary responsibility of doing so.⁵

When does the gender division of labor emerge?

Gender differentials in the distribution of housework emerge primarily after married or cohabiting couples have a child. According to a study by Yavorsky and colleagues (2015), prior to childbirth, men and women spent approximately 15 hours on unpaid housework.⁶ After childbirth, women spent approximately 35 hours per week on housework and childcare, while men spent approximately 24 hours performing housework and caring for their children.⁶

Are these patterns evenly distributed along class lines?

The traditional division of labor is most common among elite families in the top 1 percent income bracket and least prevalent among middle-class families.⁷ This pattern arises primarily because these families can maintain their economic status with the income of one partner, and elite men's income tends to exceed that of their wives significantly.

Overall, these findings suggest that gender equality in the household has “stalled” relative to gender equality in the workplace, increasing the dual burden for women to work and do housework.

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