February 14, 2001
Who takes out the garbage? 200 gay, lesbian, straight couples sought for study of household chores
Division of household chores long has been a source of friction for married couples, but less is known about how large a problem it is for gay, lesbian and unmarried heterosexual couples.
To find out, 200 gay, lesbian and unmarried and married heterosexual couples are being sought for a new University of Washington study that will explore who does what around the home and individuals’ levels of satisfaction over the division of labor.
To be eligible both partners must be at least 18 years old and couples must have lived together a minimum of six months, said Lisa Hagen, a UW psychology honors undergraduate student and Mary Gates Scholar, who is directing the study.
Couples who are interested should contact Hagen at (206) 616-9593 or lhagen@u.washington.
Once couples are accepted as subjects, they will be given the URL for an online questionnaire that covers house and yard jobs, relationship maintenance and parenting tasks. The questionnaire takes about 30 minutes to complete and each partner will be asked to fill it out separately. Questions cover such topics as who cleans the toilet, prepares meals, pays the bills, makes medical appointments, plans evenings out, takes care of pets and deals with a sick child.
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For more information, contact Hagen at (206) 616-9593 or lhagen@u.washington.edu.
