The Heart of a Home
The Heart of a Home is an exploration into why women in cis-heterosexual couples perform the majority of unpaid labor. Furthermore, I investigate why this trend pertains even when women work as much as their partners doing paid labor. Finally, I take a look at how couples manage and view the pressure of gender roles and why they try or do not try to subvert these gender roles.
The Heart of a Home is an exploration into why women in cis-heterosexual couples perform the majority of unpaid labor. Furthermore, I investigate why this trend pertains even when women work as much as their partners doing paid labor. Finally, I take a look at how couples manage and view the pressure of gender roles and why they try or do not try to subvert these gender roles.
​
​
Three years ago I nearly broke up with my partner because I was miserable with the role I had undertaken in our relationship. He was perfect in almost every way and yet I was unhappy, and I could not figure out why. It turns out I was experiencing something the majority of women in cis-heterosexual relationships experience. The unequal burden of mental and physical labor within our relationship.
I handled everything, cooking, meal planning, emotional regulation of our relationship, cleaning, planning dates, planning our day-to-day life, planning with our families, etc. I also happened to be working part-time and was a full-time student. The burden of my responsibilities compared to my partners was making me resentful of my relationship and burnt out.
Unsurprisingly, this is not a newfound phenomenon. Social scientists have been aware of it and researching it since the ’60s. This position of women performing the majority of unpaid labor and mental labor within relationships came to the forefront as society's expectations of women were challenged by the feminist movement.
My partner and I discussing our own experience dealing with gender norms and unequal labor.
The Heart of a Home is an exploration into why women in cis-heterosexual couples perform the majority of unpaid labor. Furthermore, I investigate why this trend pertains even when women work as much as their partners doing paid labor. Finally, I take a look at how couples manage and view the pressure of gender roles and why they try or do not try to subvert these gender roles.
The Heart of a Home is an exploration into why women in cis-heterosexual couples perform the majority of unpaid labor. Furthermore, I investigate why this trend pertains even when women work as much as their partners doing paid labor. Finally, I take a look at how couples manage and view the pressure of gender roles and why they try or do not try to subvert these gender roles.
​
​