Biological essentialism, gender ideologies, and the division of housework and childcare: comparing male carer/female breadwinner and traditional families

The present study examined the role of individuals' social psychological characteristics in the division of housework and childcare responsibilities, comparing parents in role-reversed arrangements with parents in a more traditional division of roles. A sample of 353 parents with young children completed extensive questionnaires. As hypothesized, participants in role-reversed arrangements expressed more egalitarian gender ideologies and had a lower tendency to endorse biological essentialist beliefs compared to participants in a traditional division of roles. The findings further showed that parents' gender ideologies and biological essentialism were interrelated and predicted their involvement in childcare and housework. Finally, maternal gatekeeping mediated the effect of mothers' gender ideologies and biological essentialism on their involvement in housework and childcare. The findings shed light on the underlying mechanisms by which parents' ideologies shape the division of family work and can lead to more equality in the home.

“It’s Just Another Unfortunate Part of Being Female”: A Qualitative Study on Dysmenorrhea Severity and Quality of Life

The present study sought to understand similarities and differences in the experiences of women with mild, moderate and severe menstrual pain. Women aged 18-50 years were recruited from the community between May and July 2019 (n = 624). Participants were asked to rate their menstrual pain severity using a Numerical Rating Scale categorised into mild (scores 1-4), moderate (scores 5-7), and severe dysmenorrhea (scores 8-10) and respond to three open-ended questions about the impact of menstrual pain. Inductive template thematic analysis was used to understand patterns of meaning and compare and contrast the experience of menstrual pain across severity. Three themes were derived, including 'Dysmenorrhea is more than menstrual pain;' 'It puts a hold on lives;' and 'Lack of health-related information.' Women across all pain severities reported disabling symptoms, disrupted physical activity and the need for education and treatment. Those experiencing mild pain reported relatively brief symptoms and minor impacts, whilst those with moderate, and especially severe pain reported debilitating symptoms and extensive impacts. Supportive care including education is needed for all menstruating people.

Gender roles during COVID-19 pandemic: The experiences of Turkish female academics

This study aims to explore the COVID-19 experiences of Turkish female academics in terms of gender roles by focusing on how these women have dealt with domestic and academic responsibilities. The study group consisted of 21 female academics working from home, along with their spouses. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyze the data collected through semistructured telephone interviews. The findings were clustered under five main themes: the early days of the pandemic, work life after the pandemic, domestic responsibilities after the pandemic, family relationships after the pandemic, and the perception of gender roles. The results indicate that the pandemic has deepened gender inequalities, and the academic life of female academics has changed in terms of academic productivity. Therefore, we recommend that more research examining the quarantine process and involving women in other occupations and of different socioeconomic statuses should be done to develop more effective social policies.