PhD – Parental task division

How Partners Divide Their Tasks in Work and Family: Research on Balance and Satisfaction

In our busy lives, we all try to find a balance between work and family. But how do partners ensure they achieve their desired division of tasks and remain satisfied in their relationship?

Larisa Riedijk, a PhD candidate at the Department of Social, Health, and Organisational Psychology, is investigating how men and women in heterosexual relationships collaborate in dividing tasks related to paid work, household chores, and childcare in her PhD project, under the supervision of Ruth van Veelen and Belle Derks. She is particularly interested in how this division of tasks changes during significant life events, such as expecting a first child or the impact of COVID-19.

Why is this research important? Balancing work and family can be challenging, especially during major life changes, which can affect the cooperation between partners and have implications on both their relationship and family life. For example, consider the birth of a child. Before the baby arrives, couples may negotiate task distribution and try to avoid traditional role patterns. But what happens afterward? This project explores how couples cope with this new situation and how it influences their relationship.

And let's not forget about COVID-19. Lockdowns and changes in work patterns undoubtedly had an impact on task division within couples. The current project examines the effects of this crisis and how couples adapted to the new circumstances. The research combines psychological, sociological, and philosophical perspectives to provide a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing couples in this complex reality.

The goal of this research is to gain insight into how couples can collaborate better in dividing tasks. To achieve this, intervention studies are also conducted to encourage couples to openly discuss their task distribution. Additionally, practical insights are gathered on what works and what doesn't when striving for a more equal division of paid and unpaid work within couples. This research has the potential to bring about changes and help couples find a balance that works for them.

This project is part of the SCOOP NWO Gravitation grant. SCOOP aims to study interdisciplinary sustainable cooperation as a characteristic aspect of resilient societies. Read more here.

Involved researchers