University Study Finds Both Men and Women Value Relationships Based on Equality

A new study by researchers at the University of Texas and the University of California, Santa Barbara, finds that a majority of young men and women would prefer a relationship in which all work and family responsibilities were shared equally. The authors of the study surveyed unmarried men and women between the ages of 18 and 32 and asked them how they would ideally structure their relationship with a future spouse or partner. A majority of both men and women said they value a relationship where earning, housework, and childcare were shared on an equal basis.

Sarah Thebaud, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and coauthor of the study, said that “a key implication of this research is that men’s and women’s current work-family arrangements are often suboptimal and result from a particular set of unsupportive workplace policies and practices. The research highlights an important disjuncture between the ideals and preferences of young men and women and the workplace policies and practices that are currently standard in the United States.”

Dr. Thebaud is a magna cum laude graduate of California Lutheran University. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in sociology from Cornell University.

The study, coauthored by David S. Pedulla, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Texas, is scheduled for publication in the American Sociological Review.