부부간 무급-유급노동 분담 유형과가사분담 만족도 및 삶의 만족도 간의 관계: ‘형평성 있는 전문화’ 개념을 중심으로

In this study, we analyze the intra-couple division of paid and unpaid labor in Korea and its relationship with individuals’ life satisfaction and satisfaction with housework allocation, based on the framework of ‘equitable specialization’. We classify intra-couple allocation patterns into six types: traditional, egalitarian, male-overburdened, female-overburdened, adaptive, and subversive. Using the 2019 Korean Time Use Survey, our analysis shows that female-overburdened (38.48%) and traditional (34.11%) types were still the majority, while egalitarian (6.71%) and male-overburdened (17.78%) were less so. Regression results report that men in female-overburdened households showed the lowest life satisfaction, while women’s satisfaction was highest in the adaptive type and lowest in the female-overburdened and subversive types. Regarding housework allocation satisfaction, no significant difference was found between the allocation types among men. Conversely, women’s allocation satisfaction was the highest in the egalitarian group, followed by those in the male-overburdened. We explain the discrepancy between results regarding life satisfaction and allocation satisfaction with the interaction between individual preferences/behaviors and social norms. Our findings suggest that men’s extended role in the family and participation in housework may help improve their own life satisfaction. We conclude with several policy implications to promote gender-egalitarian housework division among Korean couples.