In pursuit of equality: perception of justice and household work division – changes and continuities

Abstract

Aiming at the identification of possible changes in the division of household work in 12 year time, measured by average number of hours dedicated to household work per week, this article analyses the gender division of household work, as well as women’s and men’s perceptions of how fair this division is. Data collected in ISSP (International Social Survey Programme) surveys on family and gender of 2002 and 2012 (2014 in Portugal) are compared. In the first part of the article recent social research in Portugal is discussed, integrating the division of household work in other dimensions of the structure of gender relations in order to frame the level and quality of gender equality achievements. Our conclusion is that, in spite of the great changes undergone in the last decades in Portugal, the persistence of a traditional gender ideology sets some limits to the modernization of Portuguese society.