Paper short abstract:

This ethnographic research analyse the criteria of division of housework and childcare in twenty-one Spanish same-sex families. Results show that the idea of equity prevail in their discourses. However, some respondents talk about an unfair distribution that they try to justify it.

Paper long abstract:

Gender and kinship studies have questioned the hegemonic family model consisting of a reproductive heterosexual couple. One of these criticisms has been related to the dichotomous nature which emphasize differentiated gender roles in the productive and reproductive processes. In this sense, the organisation and the division of housework chores and childcare have been addressed in different investigations. Results show that in same-sex families there are a lower level of specialisation in comparison with heterosexual families because in the first case both partners tend to participate and balance their domestic responsibilities. The objective of this paper is: define the criteria by which families headed by same-sex couples organize and distribute domestic chores and childcare. Therefore, an ethnographic study with 21 Spanish families headed by same-sex couples was carried out. Results show that informers felt that there was a fair and equitable sharing in their homes. However, a minority recognized that the deal was unfair but it was justified. Those couples that talked about equity considered that their type of profession and workday favoured that the two parties worked equally. Nevertheless, couples with inequitable distribution argued that the flexible working hours, the need of maximizing the professional career of the partner, or the high degree of specialization were decisive factors in the distribution. According to the gender, some female couples with inequitable distribution felt badly for this circumstance. However, that feeling of discomfort was not observed in male couples. Finally, main conclusions are explained.