Graduate Studies

 

First Advisor

Emily Kazyak

Second Advisor

Robin Gauthier

Department

Sociology

Date of this Version

Spring 2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Comments

Copyright 2024, Eliza Thor. Used by permission

Abstract

The gendered division of household labor has long been of interest to family scholars. For heterosexual couples, labor is often unequally divided, with women normatively taking on more labor than their partners. This inequality is often justified through time availability, resource dependency, and gender ideology. However, less studied is the division of household labor in relationships in which at least one partner is transgender or gender diverse (TGD). Drawing on the framework of “doing gender,” I explore how performing labor that aligns with traditional gender expectations affirms the gender identities of TGD individuals, making the division of labor in the home a crucial aspect of how trans couples support each other. To explore how household labor supports gender, I ask: How do TGD individuals and their partners support one another’s gender identity through household labor in their daily lives? To answer this question, I conducted a multi-stage mixed-methods study with TGD individuals and their partners. I collected ecological momentary assessment (EMA) data from 50 TGD individuals and conducted interviews with 20 trans couples to learn how couples support one another and divide the labor in their home. In Chapter 1, I analyze explanations couples provided in the interviews pertaining to how they support each other in the home and in public countering instances of discrimination. In Chapter 2, I examine EMA data to explore how and why tasks impact the gender of TGD individuals while completing tasks. I explore how societal gender expectations and experiences with their parents completing labor shape how TGD individuals are impacted by the labor they are completing. Finally, in Chapter 3 I examine the interview data to explore how trans couples make decisions around the division of labor in their home. I find that couples rely on four explanations for their division of labor: time availability, adherence to gender norms, labor as support, and preference and pleasure. These findings advance knowledge in the fields of family studies and trans studies.

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