Women in the Workplace: A Game Changer
The biggest shift towards family equality has come from women entering paid employment in massive numbers. When both partners work, the traditional housewife role becomes impossible to maintain, forcing couples to rethink how they divide domestic labour.
Fiona Devine's research shows that as women join the workforce, men have no choice but to get more involved in household work. Liberal feminists celebrate this change, arguing that women's economic independence is key to reducing inequality at home.
However, there's a catch that many families recognise. Gershuny describes something called "lagged adaptation" - essentially, even though men are doing more housework than before, it'll take another generation before they catch up to the amount women currently do.
Reality Check: Many working women still find themselves doing the majority of household tasks on top of their paid jobs - the so-called "double shift."