Conjugalidade homossexual : Negociação e divisão do trabalho doméstico em casais gays

Abstract

In this study our focus is on the division of domestic work in gay couples, where we analyze the relationship between this social group and the uneven possession of economic and cultural capital between the gay couples. We begin from the assumption that the distribution of tasks in these couples is unevenly distributed, although those involved have the same biological sex. Therefore we work with variables such as the level of education, profession and financial support as structuring principles of domestic work within gay couples. Regarding the domestic work, we found that it tends to be divided equally in couples that partners share the same education, professional and financial background. While couples with differences in these dimensions share the domestic work unevenly. Regarding the methodology applied on this study, we use the hypothetical-dedutive methods and the monograph respectively. The semi-structured interview was the technique used to collect data, our sample was composed by 7 gays individuals and was selected using the snowball method. We adopted the qualitative methodology in order to analyze the speeched of gay couples on the equal division of the domestic work, and we could realize the influence of that egalitarian discourse in practice division of domestic work. We found that gay couples think that division of domestic work should be fair, however in practice, the equality was only be possible to see in couples composed of qualified professionals / intellectuals and with few differences in financial terms, and those couples with few professional qualifications, and with wide differences terms of economic and cultural capital inequality is more pronounced.