The paper by Iga Magda, Ewa Cukrowska-Torzewska, and Marta Palczyńska (2024) analyses the relationship between women’s contribution to household income and the division of housework, accounting for gender-role attitudes. Using data from the Generation and Gender Survey for Poland, where women’s employment and housework involvement are both high and work–family policies are limited, it finds that a higher female income share is associated with less housework performed by women. This relationship remains unchanged when women out-earn their partners, offering no support for the gender deviance neutralisation hypothesis. Gender norms also play a key role: women in less traditional households are more likely to share housework equally, while in traditional couples, women’s income share is unrelated to the division of labor. The findings suggest that reducing the gender pay gap may promote greater equality at home as well as in the workplace.
Magda, I., Cukrowska-Torzewska, E. & Palczyńska, M. What if She Earns More? Gender Norms, Income Inequality, and the Division of Housework. Journal of Family and Economic Issues 45, 1–20 (2024). DOI
