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Gender role attitudes and the division of housework in young married couples in northern Vietnam

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 April 2021

Thanh Thi Vu
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Abstract

This article investigates the gender role attitudes and domestic division of labour of young couples in northern Vietnam. Based on separate interviews with 30 couples living in rural and urban areas, it explores young people's thoughts about the roles of a wife and a husband and how these translate into their allocation of housework. Analysis of the interviews indicates that the perceptions and expectations of young people remain influenced by traditional gender ideology, in that wives are still considered mainly responsible for housework. However, in practice, gender roles are highly flexible and demonstrate significant mutual support. In addition, the similarities or differences between spouses in terms of gender role attitudes contribute to levels of relative satisfaction regarding the current division of labour in households.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Southeast Asian Studies , Volume 52 , Issue 1 , March 2021 , pp. 90 - 109
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Copyright
Copyright © The National University of Singapore 2021

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Footnotes

I would like to thank Prof. Raelene Wilding (La Trobe University), who supervised my PhD candidature during this research and also helped me revise this article. I appreciate the contribution of Prof. Tran Thi Minh Thi (Institute for Family and Gender Studies) to this article. I am also grateful for the comments and suggestions of this journal's referees and editor which helped improve the article.

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