Labor Division at Home and Procreational Intentions: The Case of Lithuanian Families

The paper is based on the analysis of power structure of the family and the family decision-making concerning household responsibilities, including childcare and household duties. The traditional institution of family has long been viewed as the basic unit of society and as a matter of public interests and public sphere. However, the increasing tendencies of individualization force individuals to accept the existence of distinction between male-breadwinner and female-career models. The traditional male breadwinner model is characterized by normative expectations of women and men’s duties and responsibilities shared in households. The modern families, as a consequence of individual decision-making, allow more diversity in sharing household labor. The main results of the survey conducted in 2010–2011 indicate that the most consistent predictor of the division of domestic labor in the private sphere is the dominant gender ideology of men, and both spouses/partners’ education, sex and place of residence. Compared to men, women share greater responsibility in taking care of children and housework. In this regard, the common satisfaction in family relations in uences the restructuring of traditional gender roles. The asymmetries in family relations related to domestic labor are considered as one of the main factors characterizing the nature of gendered power relations in private and public spheres, including procreational behavior.