Beyond conservative gender roles: exploring the division of paid and unpaid labour among Italian same-sex couples

TL;DR

This study examines how same-sex couples in Italy divide paid and unpaid work, finding a more equal distribution compared to traditional gender roles.

Contribution

The study provides new insights into the division of labor in Italian same-sex couples using primary survey data.

Findings

Same-sex couples in the sample generally divide paid and unpaid labor equally.

Domestic and childcare chores are shared equally, even when paid labor is not.

Unbalanced childcare is skewed toward the respondent, regardless of biological ties.

Abstract

This contribution explores the division of paid and unpaid labour among same-sex couples in Italy relying on primary data collected via an online survey. The (non-probabilistic) sample consists of 190 respondents, mainly women (n = 138), in a co-residing same-sex couple at the survey date. Results from descriptive statistics reveal a general pattern of equal division of both paid and unpaid labour among the majority of couples in our sample—a result which aligns with previous research based on different countries. Same-sex partners in our sample tend to share domestic and childcare chores equally, even when paid labour is not equally shared. This result contrasts markedly with the gender division found among different-sex partners in Italy from existing empirical studies, especially among parents. Finally, we find that in those same-sex couples where the division of childcare is unbalanced, care tasks tend to be skewed towards the respondent irrespective of their relationship to the child, unlike prior international studies suggesting a higher involvement in care tasks for the birth or biological parent.

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