Mattering and wives’ perceived fairness of the division of household labor

Using data on married women from the sixth survey wave of the Marital Instability over the Life Course (2000, N = 489), we examine the influence of mattering, or the extent to which wives believe they are important to their husbands, on wives’ perceptions of fairness of the division of household labor. Mattering taps into wives’ beliefs about their husbands’ supportiveness of them, as evidenced by respect, concern, and appreciation. We find that the more wives believe they matter to their husbands, the more likely they are to report the division of housework is fair, regardless of the share of housework wives perform, time availability, relative resources, and gender role attitudes. This research contributes to prior work on wives’ perceived fairness of the division of household labor by demonstrating the salience of broader emotional dynamics in the marriage.