Re-evaluating Gender Norms: Same-sex Couples and Housework

For generations, ideas of masculinity and femininity have played major roles in dividing up housework for families. However, the 1950s model of homemakers and breadwinners is not a “one-size-fits-all” framework that is suited to the multitude of family structures that exist. Females are not restricted to domestic labour at home and males aren’t constrained to just providing for the family economically. With same-sex marriages becoming more prevalent in our society, our understanding of housework needs to be revised. Leah Ruppanner, Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Melbourne, joined us on the line to discuss the dynamics of same-sex couples in relation to housework.