DOING IT FAIRLY - A STUDY OF POSTGENDER MARRIAGES

Little is known about married couples who share the responsibilities o f paid and family work without regard for gender prescriptions. Fiftee n married couples who divide household work and child care equitably a nd without regard to gender are interviewed to determine how they arri ved at this arrangement and what consequences such a distribution of h ousehold labor has on their relationship. Findings suggest that there are four paths to an equitable division of household labor: a dual-car eer household, a dual-nurturer relationship, a posttraditional relatio nship, and external forces. An egalitarian arrangement appears to affe ct both the power and emotional quality of couples' relationships.