Always the Women? Values and housework division in a comparative perspective

Abstract

This article explores how attitudes and behaviors toward housework vary across countries and among individuals, focusing on gender roles. Using data from the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP), specifically its Family and Changing Gender Roles module, the study employs multilevel analysis to examine responses from 41 countries across different continents. The findings reveal that factors such as gender, education, working hours, religion, and religiousness influence attitudes and practices related to domestic labor. Moreover, while national contexts play a role in shaping gender values, there is notable uniformity across countries in actual practices concerning the sexual division of housework.