Sacrificing work for family: How do women and men perceive this sacrifice?
Think of a heterosexual couple with children in which both partners work full time. Both partners want to keep their jobs, but their schedules are incompatible with their family responsibilities. Faced with this situation, one of the two people has to sacrifice their career goals for the benefit of their partner and the relationship. Who do you think is more likely to make this sacrifice?
At the Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center of the University of Granada (UGR), two researchers from the Social Psychology and Gender Laboratory (https://psygender-ugr.es/) and the Psychology of Social Problems group (HUM-289), have carried out an investigation with the aim of analyzing the perception of costs and benefits of sacrificing work for family in heterosexual couples.
In recent years there has been an increase in women's labor participation, but this has not automatically led to a balance in the family responsibilities of women and men. Taking into account that men have not proportionally increased their dedication to the private sphere (as women have done in the public sphere), many women have found themselves in the position of reducing their dedication to the public sphere, sacrificing their professional aspirations in favor of the family. How does society perceive this sacrifice? What are the perceived costs and benefits of sacrificing work for the family? The analysis of the perceived costs and benefits of sacrificing work could help to understand why some women make this decision, which is related to the fact that the women themselves perceive the decision as beneficial; or because their partners perceive it as such, which in some way reflects a "false equality of the private sphere".
The results of this research showed that both women and men perceived that sacrificing work for family was more costly for men and more beneficial for women. On the other hand, both male and female participants perceived that women felt more true to themselves when making such sacrifices. In addition, when presented with the hypothetical possibility of sacrificing work for family, women indicated that they would be more willing to do so compared to their male partners. In addition, those who perceived more benefits from sacrificing work for family were the women who were more committed and satisfied with their relationship, leading them to be more satisfied with their life in general.
In conclusion, this research shows that, although society has accepted the presence of women in the public sphere, it is still socially acceptable for them to sacrifice their presence in the public sphere to maintain it in the private sphere. These findings show the relevance of gender norms in work sacrifices, as well as the consequences for women's career progression. They reveal that today's society continues to perpetuate gender inequality in the private sphere, and that much remains to be done to achieve real equality.
Reference:
Villanueva-Moya, L., & Expósito, F. (2023). How do women and men perceive the sacrifice of leaving work for their families? A cost–benefit analysis. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 1-19. https:/doi.org/10.1177/01461672231195331
Contact:
Laura Villanueva Moya (@email)
Francisca Expósito (@email)