A dyadic examination of the division of household labor and relationship quality from a tri-load perspective
- 1School of Psychology, The University of Queensland
Abstract
Understanding the factors that affect couples’ relationship quality is of considerable importance, with one such factor being the division of household labor. To provide a rigorous test of associations between (dis)similarities in the division of household labor and relationship quality, data from 235 heterosexual cohabiting romantic partners (mean relationship length = 17.10 years, SD = 12.22) were examined using dyadic response surface analyses. Couples’ equality and equity perceptions were considered, and examined separately, in relation to the physical, cognitive and emotional loads associated with maintaining a household. The results align with previous literature indicating that, despite some improvements in gender equality, women continue to bear most of the household responsibilities. Results also highlight how greater discrepancies between couples’ household labor equality - but not equity - perceptions, relate to poorer relationship quality for each gender. Interestingly, while this relationship was found to be stronger for women across physical and emotional loads, disagreements were only found to be related to worse relationship quality amongst men for the cognitive load. This study contributes to a growing literature highlighting the need to broaden the scope of household labor beyond physical chores and consider the often invisible cognitive and emotional loads that may be more demanding. Findings are interpreted within the framework of established relationship theories, and the data offer practical foundational insights for relationship therapy, supporting the future development of evidence-based guidance for couples seeking to preserve or enhance relationship quality.
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BibTeX
@article{coundouris2026dyadic,
title = {{A dyadic examination of the division of household labor and relationship quality from a tri-load perspective}},
author = {Sarah P. Coundouris and Julie D. Henry},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-60727-z},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-60727-z},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A dyadic examination of the division of household labor and relationship quality from a tri-load perspective
AU - Sarah P. Coundouris
AU - Julie D. Henry
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-60727-z
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-60727-z
AB - Understanding the factors that affect couples’ relationship quality is of considerable importance, with one such factor being the division of household labor. To provide a rigorous test of associations between (dis)similarities in the division of household labor and relationship quality, data from 235 heterosexual cohabiting romantic partners (mean relationship length = 17.10 years, SD = 12.22) were examined using dyadic response surface analyses. Couples’ equality and equity perceptions were considered, and examined separately, in relation to the physical, cognitive and emotional loads associated with maintaining a household. The results align with previous literature indicating that, despite some improvements in gender equality, women continue to bear most of the household responsibilities. Results also highlight how greater discrepancies between couples’ household labor equality - but not equity - perceptions, relate to poorer relationship quality for each gender. Interestingly, while this relationship was found to be stronger for women across physical and emotional loads, disagreements were only found to be related to worse relationship quality amongst men for the cognitive load. This study contributes to a growing literature highlighting the need to broaden the scope of household labor beyond physical chores and consider the often invisible cognitive and emotional loads that may be more demanding. Findings are interpreted within the framework of established relationship theories, and the data offer practical foundational insights for relationship therapy, supporting the future development of evidence-based guidance for couples seeking to preserve or enhance relationship quality.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -