Gender differences and distribution of family load in heterosexual families

Research on the division of the family load in heterosexual families shows that it is still women who are the most involved in domestic work and childcare. The conviction that men and women are essentially different with respect to their predispositions and, therefore, to the roles they can take on. Partners distribute the family load on the basis of their gender, as if this were a fixed aspect of identity, anchored to biological data, and not likely to change in relation to different historical, social and cultural conditions. The present work, after analysing the biological and socio-cultural approach, examines the main ones used to explain this unequal distribution. Understanding the reasons for the strong imbalance between women and men in the distribution of family load is important for the effects that this inequity may have on the well-being of partners and the quality of the relationship.