Abstract
This study examines whether long work hours exacerbate gender inequality. As working long hours becomes increasingly common, a normative conception of gender that prioritizes men's careers over women's careers in dual-earner households may pressure women to quit their jobs. I apply multilevel models to longitudinal data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation to show that having a husband who works long hours significantly increases a woman's likelihood of quitting, whereas having a wife who works long hours does not appear to increase a man's likelihood of quitting. This gendered pattern is more prominent among workers in professional and managerial occupations, where the norm of overwork and the culture of intensive parenting are strong. Furthermore, the effect is stronger among workers who have children. Findings suggest that overwork can reintroduce the separate spheres arrangement, consisting of breadwinning men and homemaking women, to many formerly dual-earner households.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 303-329 |
| Number of pages | 27 |
| Journal | American Sociological Review |
| Volume | 75 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2010 Apr 1 |
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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Sociology and Political Science
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Reinforcing separate spheres : The effect of spousal overwork on men's and women's employment in dual-earner households. / Cha, Youngjoo.
In: American Sociological Review, Vol. 75, No. 2, 01.04.2010, p. 303-329.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Reinforcing separate spheres
T2 - The effect of spousal overwork on men's and women's employment in dual-earner households
AU - Cha, Youngjoo
PY - 2010/4/1
Y1 - 2010/4/1
N2 - This study examines whether long work hours exacerbate gender inequality. As working long hours becomes increasingly common, a normative conception of gender that prioritizes men's careers over women's careers in dual-earner households may pressure women to quit their jobs. I apply multilevel models to longitudinal data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation to show that having a husband who works long hours significantly increases a woman's likelihood of quitting, whereas having a wife who works long hours does not appear to increase a man's likelihood of quitting. This gendered pattern is more prominent among workers in professional and managerial occupations, where the norm of overwork and the culture of intensive parenting are strong. Furthermore, the effect is stronger among workers who have children. Findings suggest that overwork can reintroduce the separate spheres arrangement, consisting of breadwinning men and homemaking women, to many formerly dual-earner households.
AB - This study examines whether long work hours exacerbate gender inequality. As working long hours becomes increasingly common, a normative conception of gender that prioritizes men's careers over women's careers in dual-earner households may pressure women to quit their jobs. I apply multilevel models to longitudinal data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation to show that having a husband who works long hours significantly increases a woman's likelihood of quitting, whereas having a wife who works long hours does not appear to increase a man's likelihood of quitting. This gendered pattern is more prominent among workers in professional and managerial occupations, where the norm of overwork and the culture of intensive parenting are strong. Furthermore, the effect is stronger among workers who have children. Findings suggest that overwork can reintroduce the separate spheres arrangement, consisting of breadwinning men and homemaking women, to many formerly dual-earner households.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=77956976359&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0003122410365307
DO - 10.1177/0003122410365307
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:77956976359
VL - 75
SP - 303
EP - 329
JO - American Sociological Review
JF - American Sociological Review
SN - 0003-1224
IS - 2
ER -