%0 Journal Article
%T Is living the gender contract really a free choice? A cross-national comparison of preferences or constraints in mothers¡¯ and fathers¡¯ participation in paid and unpaid work
%A Yildiz Olsson
%J Qualitative Studies
%D 2012
%I 
%X This article is a cross-national study of the work-family balance in families with dependent children. The countries included are Denmark, Hungary, Italy and the UK. The article aims at investigating the question ¡°why¡± we still, in all four European countries, seem to live according to a traditional gender role pattern in the division of paid and unpaid work, despites mothers¡¯ entrance on the paid labour market. Women still bear the main responsibility of unpaid work. With preference theory as a starting point, the paper investigates preferences and constraints in relation to mothers¡¯ and fathers¡¯ work- and family lives. The paper relies on qualitative interviews. By using qualitative interviews, the analysis is based on fathers¡¯ and mothers¡¯ articulation of their work-life balance. The design of the interview guide has been inspired by Prue Chamberlayne¡¯s biographical methods. Thus, the analysis is based upon both fathers¡¯ and mothers¡¯personal (life) stories in the four countries.
%U http://ojs.statsbiblioteket.dk/index.php/qual/article/view/6270