Gender Division of Household Labor in the United States: How Does Culture Operate?

ABSTRACT This article examines the ways in which culture plays a role in the gender division of household labor. To explore this issue, the study uses data on early-arrival first- and second-generation immigrants living in the United States who have a married/unmarried partner present in the household. Because all of these individuals have grown up under the same laws, institutions, and economic conditions that prevail in the US, the differences between them in the gender division of housework may be attributed to cultural differences in their countries of ancestry. The study finds that the stronger the culture of gender equality in the country of ancestry, the greater the equality in immigrants’ current division of housework. This result is maintained when considering both housework and childcare as household labor. This work is extended by examining how culture operates and is transmitted, and whether culture may influence the work–life balance. HIGHLIGHTS Cultural norms in the country of origin determine allocation of household tasks for immigrants in the host country. More gender-equal norms are associated with a lower gender gap in housework time. Culture affects how and when housework is performed in family life, impacting couples’ work–life balance. Policies aimed at transforming gender norms can help to achieve gender equality.