Couples' division of household responsibilities during COVID-19, perceptions of fairness, and relationship functioning

ABSTRACT

As couples adapted to the stressful, pandemic-induced disruptions to daily life (e.g., closures of schools, working from home), many couples experienced changes to established divisions of paid and household labor. The present study investigates whether contributions to household responsibilities and perceptions of fairness in divisions of labor are associated with couple relationship satisfaction and disagreements. Gender, number of children in a family, and financial stress during the pandemic are included as moderators. Four hundred seventy-nine participants (52.8% women;ages 19-72, Mage = 34.54) in the United States completed an online survey as part of a larger study on couples coping with COVID-19. Linear mixed models showed that women, compared to men, reported doing more household responsibilities, with a widening gender gap based on the presence and number of children, and reported lower fairness. For women, the association between responsibilities and relationship disagreements increased with greater financial stress. Fairness was related to positive relationship outcomes;however, number of children moderated the strength of this association in different directions for women and men. Financial stress also increased the association between fairness and relationship functioning. Results underscore the importance of how couples manage their everyday household responsibilities and, especially, how their perceptions of fairness affect relationship outcomes. The extent to which these findings generalize beyond the pandemic to family life more generally remains to be determined, but the results suggest that the division of responsibilities and fairness, particularly during times of stress and upheaval, are putatively important and protective relationship elements. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement Approximately 1 year into the COVID-19 pandemic, perceived fairness in the division of household responsibilities had a protective role for couple relationship functioning, particularly for women, couples with children, and couples experiencing financial stress. Although it is yet unknown whether these results extend to other time periods, working toward a division of responsibilities perceived as fair can be a meaningful goal for couple and family therapists, and for couples themselves. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)