Equity and Gender Roles in Marriage

Abstract

Abstract Research indicates that there are gender disparities between men and women that continue to persist across numerous domains of marital life. These include household responsibility, child care, financial contribution, mental load, and sexual pleasure. For example, as women have entered the workforce in steadily increasing numbers, their status as the primary caretakers at home has not shifted as quickly (a phenomenon called the “second shift”). This chapter will cover current research on the gender discrepancies in each of these areas, and how they are upheld by heteronormative gender roles. We will assess the strides that modern society has taken toward progress, as well as the areas where there is still work to be done to achieve true equity in marriage.