MA Research Paper

Degree

Master of Arts

Program

Sociology

Supervisor

Choi, Kate H.

Delay of Publication

1

Abstract

Little is known about how couples in mixed-nativity marriages divide household labor compared to their peers in mixed-nativity cohabitations. Using data from the Integrated Public Use Microdata (IPUMS) files of the American Time Use Survey, this paper asks: (1) how does the division of housework for heterosexual mixed-nativity couples, both married and cohabiting, compare to that of their same-nativity counterparts? and (2) how does the gendered division of housework for heterosexual cohabiting mixed-nativity couples differ from that of married mixed- nativity couples? Findings indicate that mixed-nativity unions operate as a “middle ground” between same-nativity unions. When stratifying by marital status, either married or cohabiting, women’s time on housework for mixed-nativity married couples lands between that of native- native married couples and immigrant-immigrant married couples, while it seems that the group with the notable disadvantage in mixed-nativity partnerships is women in cohabiting unions. Broadly, these findings shed light on the persistence of a “second shift” among women, including those in mixed-nativity unions.

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