Final answer:
Most men and women prefer a partnership of equals, yet often practice a traditional division of labor. This can lead to higher stress for women due to work-family conflict and contributes to the gender pay gap. Despite more men taking up household duties, women generally shoulder the double burden of paid and unpaid work.
Step-by-step explanation:
The vast majority of both men and women today say they want a partnership of equals, in which both partners do an equal share of paid and unpaid work. However, research indicates that most couples end up with a traditional division of labor, where one partner is primarily responsible for paid work while the other takes on childcare and household work.
Although men in the United States are increasingly participating in household responsibilities, research, including findings by Gyllensten & Palmer (2005), has documented that women tend to experience higher levels of stress due to work-family conflict. This is compounded by the still prevalent gender pay gap, where women—not only partake in unpaid domestic work to a greater extent than men but also earn less than their male counterparts for similar paid work roles.
Historically and across different societies, women have been pressured to fulfill the dual role of a caretaker and an employee, often dealing with fewer opportunities and lower pay as a consequence. The idea of the 'superwoman' who perfectly balances career and family has been challenged, as sociologists refer to the additional home and family management responsibilities undertaken by women as the 'second shift', which tends to perpetuate a subordinate role for working women within the family structure.